If one main factor has to be singled out for the Congress' comfortable victory in Andhra Pradesh, it is undoubtedly the individual benefit schemes implemented by the government in the last few years.
"The four crore beneficiaries of our individual benefit schemes are our star campaigners," Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy used to say constantly while referring to the film stars who campaigned for other parties.
Indeed, the beneficiaries have not belied either Reddy's or Congress' hopes and gave the party a thumbs up.
Though the Telangana factor threatened to wreck the Congress boat, the individual benefit schemes such as pension schemes, permanent housing and loans to women self-help group seemed to have turned the tide.
Many Congress heavyweights like PCC president D Srinivas, Assembly Speaker K R Suresh Reddy and several ministers lost the election but Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had the last laugh with the Congress comfortably crossing the magic mark of 148 seats.
The Rajasekhara Reddy government focused primarily on the ambitious Jalayagnam programme (irrigation projects) in the first two years from 2004 but slowly it turned its attention to schemes that benefited individuals.
Thus, every household derived not just one but many benefits. Be it a white ration card that ensured supply of rice at Rs 2 per kg, or Arogya Sri health insurance that gave a Rs 2 lakh cover for treatment of major ailments.
Permanent housing, loans to women self-help group members at 25-paise interest, reimbursement of fee for higher and professional education, the schemes covered and benefited one and all.
Besides, pensions for various sections like the elderly, physically-challenged and artisans too befited the people. Though the Telugu Desam Party promised to introduce a Cash-Transfer-Scheme, under which each eligible family was promised a sum ranging from Rs 1000 to Rs 2000 a month, people apparently did not take it seriously.
In the ultimate analysis, people voted for continuity rather than ambiguity and this became Congress' USP.
