Betting picks up before elections in North Andhra

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, March 17, 2014:  Though elections are two months away from now, betting has already begun in many parts of north Andhra. Heavy bets are being placed on chances of YSRC winning.

The political uncertainty has definitely brought fortunes to the betting organizers. This time the organizers say they will close the stakes before the polls calling it a ‘blind betting’.  The least amount put on stake as of now is Rs 10,000, while the maximum has already touched to Rs 10 lakhs even before the election is yet to generate enough heat.

Betting organizers and punters have already started working overtime. Even though many Congress leaders are making a beeline for TD office to join the party expecting Naidu to come back to power, YSRC still remains the favourite among the punters.

Besides YSRC win, in Vizag, a lot of bets are being placed on former minister Ganta Srinivas Rao, who has rejoined TD recently. Betting organizers are raising the stakes on whether changing party will bring luck to the former minister, who never lost an election since the time he entered politics in 1999.

There is also heavy betting on Vizag east seat where the fight is most likely between the sitting TD MLA, Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu who is very popular among masses in the constituency and YSRC city convenor, Vamsi Krishna Srinivas.

The YSRC city convenor contested on a PRP ticket in the last elections and lost to Babu. Since, then Vamsi has been nurturing the constituency by organizing many programmes to woo local voters.

Interestingly, betting is also on whether former PCC chief, Botsa Satyanrayana who faced the ire of Viziangaram public in July-August last year, can retain deposits or not.

In Srikakulam, stakes are on whether, YSRC Chief Jagan Reddy’s popularity would ensure win of the party’s loksabha candidate or the sympathy wave would work in favour of Young Turk in the politics, K Yerran Naidu’s son K Rammohan Naidu, who is the most likely TD candidate for Srikakulam parliamentary constituency.

In the remaining constituencies in Vizag district, it is all one sided affair in favour of YSRC. Punters are betting on YSRC candidates. “This time we wanted to bring in some excitement and generate enough heat much before the parties announced their candidates. If there is a wave a party wins irrespective of candidates in the fray. We have got a good response even the stakes have begun 2 months before the polls though there is risk factor,” said a betting organizer.  As many as half a dozen are oganising these betting.