Telangana Assembly elections | Low expectations and limited hopes Premium

Hyderabad is a city of contrasts, with its citizens living in two worlds. On one side, there is the glitz and glamour of the new city, and on the other, the neglected and forgotten Old City. With the election campaign in full swing, the city’s citizens are faced with a choice between the “lesser of two evils”, with many of the key issues being pushed aside.

The drone flies in slowly over the blue Hussainsagar in Hyderabad. The domes of the alabaster white Telangana Secretariat come into the frame. The drone circles and shows the magnificent building that has become the talk of the town since its inauguration in April this year, built at a cost of ₹616 crore.

This is a video made by the State government in English, and has been posted across multiple handles. The voice over calls it a “jewel in the crown of Telangana”, also saying that the State is “striving for the upliftment of the people and the welfare of the downtrodden”. 

Below the building, on the road that runs parallel to the railway track is the Pattigadda slum in the Sanathnagar Assembly Constituency. “We will vote depending on the mood that day. We no longer have trust in the government and don’t expect anything. We may get or may not get the two-BHK [bedroom-hall-kitchen] houses,” says Raju, a driver who lives in the shanty.  

The street ends in a school which promises: Free uniforms, free textbooks, free mid-day meals, and free computer training. Children scamper about the lane filled with trash, goats, chickens, and buffaloes. “We don’t expect any change or benefit from our representatives. There has been no development here for the past 30 years. The roads are the same. They get flooded whenever there is rain. The trash is not picked up regularly. The people living in the slums have not been allocated new houses. If they can stop drunkards coming here to drink that would be great,” says Murthy who sells finger-foods outside a liquor outlet.  

The predominant mood in Hyderabad city is low expectations from public representatives. As the stage set for the high-stakes Assembly election with 119 seats, the campaign and narrative are increasingly focussed on individuals and political parties, with the main contenders being the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Many of the city’s key issues are being pushed aside.   

City problems 

Hyderabad boasts much development. The city has constructed roads over graveyards, bridges over temples and chillas (roadside prayer structures), and roads through hillocks. It even boasts of a hanging bridge over a lake (Durgam Cheruvu) and is in the process of building 14 bridges over the Musi river that flows through the city. Yet, for the average Hyderabadi, the roads continue to remain congested, making commuting a daily ordeal.