HINDUPUR: Rival parties are leaving no stone unturned to win over voters in the Hindupur Municipality with only four days to go for the end of campaigning. Main rivals, TDP and Congress, have two jobs on their hands -- to win the voters by convincing them with promises and neutralise the rebels' tactics.

The ruling Congress has taken the civic polls as a prestige issue and Minister for Agriculture and Civil Supplies N. Raghuveera Reddy is camping here to break into the TDP bastion, which the town has been for long. He successfully knit together groups in the party and roped in all legislators and key district leaders for campaigning.

Permanent solution

The Minister has been promising the voters of providing a permanent solution to the drinking water problem by the next Assembly elections. The Congress has been harping on the development achieved by their Government. The party is also making efforts to win over various associations and unions.

On the other hand, the TDP is relying mostly on the past as it had failed to win the chairperson's post in the direct election held last time, in spite of winning in a majority of wards --19 out of 32. Led by local legislator P. Ranganayakulu and party in-charge B. Shobha Nagi Reddy, the party's campaigning is carried out mostly by former MPs and MLAs.

Water politics

To counter the `water politics' of the Congress, the TDP is trying to explain to the voters that the drinking water pipeline project was originally conceived by their Government. "Based on the proposals sent by the TDP Government the project was sanctioned recently," claimed Mr. Ranganayakulu.

A few independent candidates too have joined the fray.

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