Can Congress make it in LB Nagar?

LB Nagar: The last one month has seen far reaching changes in the LB Nagar assembly constituency. The political equations have changed with such alacrity that it would put even a chess aficionado to shame. The belief that TRS would walk away with ease no longer holds true due to several changes. Sample this: First, there is a sizable population from Andhra Pradesh in LB Nagar that can decide the outcome; secondly, the coming together of the Grand Old Party with the TDP too has influenced the think-tank of parties; and thirdly, the corporators are a divided lot on backing the TRS candidate. 

Settlers’ vote to prove a deciding factor

In 2014 elections, TDP candidate R Krishnaiah polled 84,000 votes and TRS candidate Ram Mohan Goud got 71,000 votes and the Congress candidate Sudeer Reddy managed to get 56,000 votes.  Congress party candidates are upbeat and believe that the combined votes of TDP and TRS could be around 1,40,000 votes. The BJP does not have a big presence but a few thousand votes would make a difference. 
 
Sudeer Reddy has an edge 

The Mahakutami candidate Devireddy Sudeer Reddy who was the MLA between 2009 -2014 is hoping that the people would vote for him. He is going to the people with the message that the developmental activities in the area started when he was in power. Community halls, parks and other civic amenities had come up during his tenure. There is a general feeling among people that the MLA of the dissolved assembly did not meet people and was not easily approachable. This factor could help Sudeer Reddy. A senior Congress worker said, “Krishnaiah lives in Vidyanagar, where as Sudeer Reddy stays in L B Nagar. He was easily approachable and is now cashing on this factor.” Krishnaiah involved in BC issues in these last few years and as a result did not visit the constituency to the desired extent. This now is turning out to be his undoing. 

Rammohan Goud left alone?
The TRS candidate Rammohan Goud finds himself in a strange situation. In the recent GHMC elections, 11 corporators won but six out of them are not supporting him wholeheartedly. So much so, recently, a group met KTR to show their displeasure on his candidature. It is another matter that the party’s decision prevailed but on the ground level, Goud seems to be left alone. Opposition party candidates say that in the municipal elections people usually vote for the ruling party but the assembly elections is a different ball game. 

In the recent past, there has been a spate of complaints about the corporators in L B Nagar constituency of blackmailing residents who build houses. This too has not gone down well with the people and could backfire and Rammohan Goud the sufferer. The complaints of blackmail are from Chaitanyapuri, Kothapeta, Hastinapuram, Lingojiguda, Nagole and other areas.  

The general feeling that the corporators are fleecing people may hurt Goud badly. The BJP candidate, Perala Shekar Rao, can make a dent. He has a following in LB Nagar, Nagole, Mansoorabad, Chaitanyapuri and other areas. The more the votes BJP gets, the more it would hurt TRS.