Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, condoms have emerged as a campaign tool in Andhra Pradesh with major parties distributing packets featuring their party symbols to the public. A viral video on social media depicts condom packs labeled with the symbols of the ruling YSR Congress Party and the primary opposition, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), purportedly being handed out to voters by party members.The video shows a person discussing how to reduce the number of beneficiaries of government schemes.
Party leaders conducting door-to-door campaigns for the Lok Sabha polls were also distributing condom packets.However, both parties slammed each other for distributing condoms, despite each of them doing the same.YSRCP, taking to X (formerly Twitter), has called out the TDP, asking how low will the party stoop."Will it stop with condoms or even start distributing Viagra to the public?" Jagan Mohan Reddy's party asked.
The state of Andhra Pradesh, is one of the few states where the national parties have struggled continuously during the Lok Sabha Elections as the local parties of the state have a strong hold over its masses, due to the strong sense of regional emotions and landscape. The state also became an important hotspot for the Congress, as in both 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha Elections, it was the swing votes of Andhra Pradesh that helped them to form government in the centre. On the other hand, BJP despite winning two seats in 2014 and zero seats in 2019, were able to form government in the centre, but, with the entry of the I.N.D.I.A alliance into the picture, that consists many of the regional parties from the state, can turn out to be troublesome for their mission of 400+ seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.