Double digit eludes Congress, BJP

Hyderabad: Though the Congress did not get double digit seats in the Lok Sabha elections, it continued its hold on Nalgonda, Bhongir, Khammam, Mahabubabad and Warangal by securing a huge majority in these districts as it had done during the Assembly elections.

In Nalgonda, Kunduru Raghuveer Reddy, son of former minister K Jana Reddy, won with more than 5.5 lakh majority, a record at national level. While in Khammam, Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy, the co-brother-in-law of Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, won with more than 4.5 lakh majority.

However, the party lost not only surrounding constituencies of Hyderabad, including Chevella, Malkajgiri and Secunderabad, but also Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, Adilabad and Karimnagar, where the party leadership had placed more focus and spent most of its energies.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had taken it as tige issue regarding the two constituencies -- Malkajgiri, the Lok Sabha seat which he had won in 2019 and Mahbubnagar, his home turf. He had spent maximum energy on these constituencies, while making about five visits each during the poll campaign.

In Chevella, Malkajgiri and Hyderabad, the Congress had fielded turncoats who quit the BRS and joined the Congress. In Chevella, the sitting MP Gaddam Ranjith Reddy lost to BJP candidate Konda Vishweshwar Reddy. While in Malkajgiri, Patnam Suneetha Mahender Reddy, the wife of former minister Mahender Reddy, lost to Eatala Rajender of the BJP. In Secunderabad, former Minister Danam Nagender lost to Union Minister and State BJP president G Kishan Reddy. In these polls, the Congress has lost to BJP’s well-known faces and top politicians, as the party could not make it in Nizamabad, where sitting MP Dharmapuri Arvind and in Karimnagar, where sitting MP and former BJP State chief Bandi Sanjay contested. In Medak, Neelam Madhu, who is also a turncoat contested and lost to former Dubbaka MLA M Raghunandan Rao.

In Nagarkurnool, Mallu Ravi who won with a majority of over 94,000 votes will be representing the constituency for the second time. Besides Ravi, Gaddam Vamsi Krishna from Peddapalli and Kadiyam Kavya from Warangal are the other two SC candidates who made it to Parliament.