Political strategist Prashant Kishore had once commented that no Political Party can hope to win an election without offering ‘freebies’ to the people.
What he said is absolutely correct! There is hardly a Party in India that offers to improve the living standards of the people without making them parasites on the system.
In Andhra Pradesh, the YSRCP from a high of 151 seats in 2019 was stunningly reduced to just 11 in the recently concluded polls.
The verdict was all the more shocking because the Party was extremely confident that its unprecedented welfare schemes would propel it comfortably back to power.
While the Party top brass is blaming the EVMs, its MLA from Dharmavaram, Kethireddy Venkatarami Reddy has given his perspective on the welfare schemes.
Kethireddy who was constantly among the people of his constituency with his popular ‘Good Morning Dharmavaram’ programmme, also suffered a shocking defeat in the polls.
“Our manifesto offered nothing new, merely a continuance of the welfare schemes whereas the TDP promised an additional amount along with incorporating all our welfare schemes in their manifesto. Naturally, the voters chose the better offer,” said Kethireddy further adding, “In my own constituency, I had disbursed nearly Rs 3000 crores worth of welfare schemes at a conversion rate of 97 percent and I ironically, I lost in those areas where the beneficiaries were maximum.”
Kethireddy’s statement is really significant because it proves that the average Indian voter, especially from the reserved and weaker sections of society cannot be taken for granted. They offer themselves to the highest bidder!
So, this lesson applies to all political parties across the nation. Elections cannot be won without freebies and yet, there is no guarantee of loyalty.
You’ll have to come up with new schemes or keep increase the budgets for the schemes to retain power, neither of which is conducive to the well-being of society.
A perfect catch-22 situation! Where then lies the solution to this ineradicable disease?