Decoding Tummala Nageswara Rao’s defeat

Paler: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti needs to learn several lessons which received a massive blow with defeat of senior most leader and the former Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao in the Paler Assembly segment to get strong hold on the Khammam district.

It is to be noted that Tummala Nageswara Rao, who contested on the TDP ticket lost to Congress party candidate Puvvada Ajay Kumar in 2014 elections and later shifted his loyalties to TRS party. He won Paler Assembly seat in the by-elections after the demise of Ramreddy Venkata Reddy of Congress party.

The experts are searching for the reasons for the defeat of Tummala Nageswara Rao who had taken measures for completion of Bhakta Ramadasu Project within six months for supplying water for irrigation purpose along with taking up several developmental activities in the constituency.

The voting percentage decreased in Khammam rural mandal compared to previous elections. The Kusumanchi and Nelakondapalli mandals proved as a disaster for Tummala in voting percentage. 

Reasons for the failure of TRS party in Palair assembly segment:

Group politics:
The group politics and lack of coordination among the leaders within the party in all the mandals in the constituency proved costly for Tummala Nageswara Rao. On number of occasions, Tummala tried to convince the leaders and unsuccessfully tried to establish cordial relation between them which is resulted in his defeat in the Assembly elections.

Left parties’ vote bank:
Tummala who got 10,000 votes in Khammam rural mandal in the previous elections (which is the strong hold of CPI party) due to the support from the CPI  which he lost as the CPI had been one of member of the grand alliance Mahakutami-led by the Congress.

Local feeling:
The Congress candidate of Palair Assembly segment Kandala Upendar Reddy being the local candidate and active leader was been available to the people round the clock and tried to solve their problems. The Congress party played local candidate card in the election campaign and succeeded in defeating Tummala. 

Losing confidence of people:
The people did not believe Tummala, even though he took initiation for renovation of Paler old canal in Nelakondapalli mandal. 

Truck symbol:
The Telangana activist Nandigam Rajkumar alias Johny who participated actively in separate Telangana movement contested in the elections as an independent candidate from Palair Assembly segment. The Election Commission allotted him Truck symbol which was similar to Car. It is believed that many people voted for Truck symbol instead of car in confusion which also proved costly for Tummala and played a key role in his defeat.

Party cadre:
The people who believed that Tummala never cared about the party activists and cared about the second grade leaders in the constituency had given a shock to him by defeating him in the elections.