Badvel Bypoll: Anti-Incumbency or Poor Poll Management?

The poor voter turnout in Badvel constituency in Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s native Kadapa district is sending jitters down the spine of the YCP leaders what with even the beneficiaries of several government schemes not stirring out of their houses to vote for the YCP candidate.

During the campaigning, the YCP men kept boasting that it would be a landslide victory for the party. The YCP leaders even claimed that their government was the only one which had delivered all the promises made to the people before the polls and that it even was ensuring that the governance reached the doorsteps of the voters. They reminded the voters that all the welfare schemes like pensions were reaching the beneficiaries by the 1st day of every month without fail.

In the wake of such a situation, the party men believed that the voter turnout would be huge and that the mandate would be in their favour.

Hence, winning the bypoll was not of their minds but winning it with a thumping majority was what they aimed and given the zero resistance from the opposition (TDP and BJP) coupled with the crores of rupees being spent on people’s welfare, the YCP men considered the victory with a huge margin a cakewalk.

On the polling day, 68.12 voting percentage was recorded, much lower than the 76.56% registered during the last general elections. Morevoer, the statistics proved that the latest voting percentage in Badvel bypoll is the least in the last 20 years.

Generally, bypolls do not evoke much response from the voters but the YCP considered it as a prestigious issue. The YCP leaders believed that the voters would queue up at the polling booths for having enjoyed the benefits of the welfare schemes, which the YCP government had been implementing borrowing heavily from the lenders. One of the ministers even went to the extent of saying that the YCP should not be held responsible if the EVMs went kaput not able to withstand the heavy voting percentage.

However, nothing happened as expected by the YCP men. Apparently, the voters cared a hoot to exercise their franchise, which reflected that the poll management was poor. With the TDP abstaining from contesting the bypoll, the YCP leaders were confident that there was none to oppose them and the local leaders reportedly remained lax in bringing the voters to the booths.

YCP leaders from neighbouring districts campaigned in Badvel constituency but the electorate in the villages of the segment did not show much enthusiasm in casting their votes. Further, YCP president and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also did not address any public meeting to develop the connect with the voters.

Reportedly, there was no distribution of liquor or money during Badvel bypoll just as in Tirupati bypoll. The ruling party leaders made it clear that they would not distribute money or liquor to the electorate and confined themselves to speeches and roadshows.

According to reports, even the BJP stayed away from liquor and money as they were sure that they would lose the bye-elections. It is being said that lack of money and liquor in the poll process led to a drop in the polling percentage. There is talk that the voters did not show much interest in casting their votes as they were neither given money nor liquor.

Meanwhile, political observers raised doubts if the poor voter turnout, despite benefiting from the numerous welfare schemes, could mean anti-incumbency.