Poverty pushes labourers to participate in poll campaign amid heatwave
Women taking a break during an election campaign in Vijayawada One Town area. overty and hunger has pushed several thousands of labourers to participate in election campaigns amidst a severe heatwave in Andhra Pradesh. Some women were doing campaigning by carrying their toddlers just to earn ₹50 or ₹100 a day.
“I used to work in construction sites. Due to the hot weather and heatwaves, work has been suspended. To feed my family, I am participating in election canvassing,” said B. Grace, a daily wage labourer.
“We were hoping to earn some money by working in catering units this summer. As there are no ‘muhurtams’ (auspicious dates), there are no marriages or gruhapravesams (housewarming) at present, forcing us to join in the election campaign,” said a labourer couple from Ongole town.
“Thanks to the elections and the leaders engaging us in the campaign, we are able to earn ₹500 a day, and feed our families at least two square meals a day,” say the workers of Santanutalapadu in Prakasam district.
Many women were participating in the campaigns along with the contestants of various political parties by carrying party ¢ags in Palakol, Veeravasaram, Narsapuram, Nuzvid, Jaggaiahpet, Vuyyuru, Avanigadda and other areas since morning.
Candidates are engaging in campaigns from 6 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. The door-to-door campaigns and rallies resume again at 4 p.m. and the day nally ends at 10 p.m, says P. Rajamma of Machilipatnam, a woman worker who earned ₹12,000 by canvassing non-stop for the last few days.
“Many farmers are harvesting their elds with machines and there is no work for labourers. Painters, plumbers, carpenters, electricians and others working in unorganised sectors are not getting work due to the heatwave,” said Pala Rajesh, a painter who was campaigning for a candidate in Bhimavaram.
“Mediators will take the list of the persons willing to come for election campaign in each colony. For one session (morning hours) mediators will pay ₹200 with breakfast. If we participate in campaign for the whole day, ₹500 will be given to each person along with dinner,” said Kandula Raghava Rao, a mason of Gudivada in Krishna district.
PDemand for women
There is a demand for women in the election campaign. Candidates are preferring women for campaigning in rural areas. Mediators are asking women to come for canvassing along with the leaders. In some areas, the contestants are paying ₹800 and above per day, say workers.
“The situation in some families is dire as construction works, catering and work in sand quarries have been suspended due to the searing heat,” said P. Pavana, a mediator earning close to ₹1500 per day by arranging people for election campaigning in NTR district.
“If we carry children along with us, contestants pay ₹100 more. We have to carry party ¢ags, raise slogans, and distribute brochures and pamphlets to the households,” said S. Bujji, an agriculture labourer of Akiveedu village in West Godavari district.