Viveka Murder: ‘Sympathy’ Voters Will Take U-Turn?

Sympathy plays a crucial role in politics. Politicians also try to cash in on public sympathy by doing several feats. During the elections in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tried to gain sympathy votes by getting her leg bandaged and remaining stuck to the wheel chair reportedly after being hurt in a political meeting during her campaigning. She blamed the opposition parties for her injury and said that their goons attacked her.

When TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu hid his face in his palms and burst into tears alleging that the YCP men insulted his wife by making indecent remarks about her in the Assembly too, several people alleged that it was only to gain sympathy that Naidu was doing the histrionics.

AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy led a padayatra to cash in on the sympathy votes after the death of his father and former CM Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. Jagan made several promises during his walkathon only to attract the public.

Apart from the padayatra, one other thing also helped Jagan register a landslide. Jagan also gained some votes in the name of the murder of his uncle Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy.

Former minister Vivekananda Reddy was found murdered at his residence in the run up to the 2019 elections when Jagan and his favourable media alleged that the TDP was behind the killing, By giving several twists to the reality, the YCP tried to make the incident public under the banner Nara Sura Rakta Charitra. Even before the public could understand what could have happened on that day, the YCP started blaming and campaigning that it was the TDP which got Jagan’s uncle killed. As a result, the YCP gained some sympathy votes.

Now, investigation into the case has been expedited. The CBI intensified its search and Viveka’s daughter Sunitha also increased focus on getting the culprits booked. At present, all fingers are pointing towards YCP MP Avinash Reddy.

It is pertinent to note that even this development is occurring ahead of the elections and it is likely that there could be an impact of the investigation into the case on the voters. If the facts of the murder are made public soon, then the YCP, which had gained some sympathy votes in the wake of the murder in 2019 might lose if the reality reveals Jagan’s close acolytes behind the murder.