Keen Independents can't match political brawn

HYDERABAD: Amid intense political heat generated by parties, Independent candidates are struggling to make an impact in election results in Greater Hyderabad .

In 2019 Lok Sabha elections , despite their best efforts, Independents managed to secure just 1% of the total votes cast in the region.

Greater Hyderabad, which comprises four parliamentary constituencies — Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Malkajgiri and Chevella — partially or full, saw a total voter turnout of around 47 lakh. However, the total votes polled by all Independent candidates in these constituencies totalled less than 50,000.

In the Hyderabad LS constituency, nine Independent candidates together secured only 5,173 votes, making their strength 0.5% of the 8.7 lakh votes polled in the 2019 elections.

The Secunderabad LS segment also saw a similar trend, where 15 Independents registered 10,051 votes against the total 9.1 lakh votes last LS elections. The other constituencies, Malkajgiri and Chevella, together registered just over 30,000 votes.

Tollywood actress Sahithi Dasari, who is contesting the May 13 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent from Chevella on the ‘glass tumbler’ symbol, told TOI that she grew up in Lingampally and Vikarabad, which fall under Chevella, and knows the community. “I am expecting around 10,000 votes as the glass symbol is a popular symbol used by actor Pawan Kalyan’s Janasena,” said Sahithi, who has been running online campaigns on social media platforms X and Instagram. “I am seeing good response from voters,” she said.

Despite lacking financial backing and support from political parties, Independent candidates are expressing their desire to test their mettle in the democratic process by contesting this election.

Another Independent candidate, Chaitanya Kumar Reddy, criticised the divisive politics of BJP and AIMIM. Emphasising the need for politics beyond caste and religion, Chaitanya said he entered the fray from Hyderabad with no expectations, only with an aim to understand the electoral process, the functioning of the system and the transparency involved.

Flory Sangala, an Independent candidate from the Secunderabad constituency, highlighted the need for fresh faces in politics as the major political parties continue to field the same old candidates. “I have been involved in social service activities in different parts of the city for the past two years, building relationships with the locals. This is the first time I am contesting the elections using the ‘baby walker’ symbol,” she added.


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