As the Telangana elections approach, numerous pre-poll surveys are being conducted. Despite several surveys indicating an edge for the Congress, the general public remains skeptical.
When inquired, even though a moderate sample size, the majority of people express their intent to vote for BRS, sparking curiosity about the source of the apparent surge in Congress support reflected in the surveys.
"First and foremost, a significant portion of settlers from Andhra Pradesh, who were initially not aligned with BRS (then TRS) before the state's partition, have become content with its governance. Over the past decade, they have encountered no significant issues or grievances with BRS, resulting in a lack of anti-incumbency sentiment among this group, with one exception- the Kammas", said a bank employee from Hyderabad.
"The media's lack of critical coverage regarding the administration of BRS in the state has contributed to the absence of significant anti-incumbency sentiment", a lecturer opined.
Anoother citizen from Kukatpally region said, "The Kamma settlers view BRS as an adversary of Chandrababu Naidu, given the party's affiliation with YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh. Furthermore, they see Revanth Reddy, the Congress counterpart in Telangana, as someone closely linked to Chandrababu Naidu.
In a way, the Kamma settlers in Telangana wish for a Congress victory, hoping that this would indirectly bring the state into Chandrababu Naidu's influence, facilitated by Revanth Reddy's friendship with him".
An insider suggests that the current surveys indicating Congress as a potential winner in the Telangana elections might be sponsored by influential Kamma figures in Telangana to sway neutral voters.
An urban citizen remarked, "It's worth noting that these Kamma settlers haven't voted for BRS in the past ten years. They voted for the TDP-Congress alliance or TDP individually. However, their relatively small population has limited their impact. Nevertheless, they are hopeful that they can bring about change by influencing neutral voters through these funded surveys this time."
But on the contrary, a citizen responded like this: "Anti-incumbency in Telangana state is a reality. For the first time, urban voters seem content with BRS, while rural voters are not. The rural electorate is dissatisfied with BRS's governance, and they don't see the need to re-elect the same leadership. They are uncertain whether Congress rule would be any better, but they simply want to change their allegiance due to a lack of emotional attachment to the party. Initially, their support was tied to the Telangana movement, but even after a decade, they haven't witnessed significant development in their rural areas. Welfare schemes are also not reaching them as effectively as they do in Andhra Pradesh. This, in essence, is the primary cause of their discontent," explained an individual from a rural region who has gathered opinions from the local populace.