Congress may gain from BJP's Reddy-to-Rao shift

Hyderabad: Is the BJP planning to give a return gift to the Congress? This is what is making rounds in political circles as well as in social media.

It is being said that the BJP could win four Lok Sabha seats defeating its nearest rival TRS because of the indirect support extended to it by the Congress.

Now that the main fight in the Huzurnagar Assembly bypoll is between the Congress and TRS, the BJP would be helping the Congress by splitting TRS votes, pollical circles aver.

With the BJP announcing that the name of Kota Rama Rao instead of Srikala Reddy, it is being said that the BJP would be giving a return gift to the Congress.

It may be mentioned here that the Huzurnagar constituency is a strong hold of Reddy community. While the Congress has fielded N Padmavathi Reddy, wife of TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, the TRS has fielded Saidi Reddy, who had lost to Uttam in the last Assembly elections.

The BJP till Wednesday wanted to field Srikala Reddy but it has now zeroed in on Dr Kota Rama Rao, who is an OBC and radiologist by profession. The triangular contest, it is said, could tilt the balance in favour of the Congress, political circles feel.

The Congress also has closed its ranks as far as this contest is concerned. Senior leaders K Jana Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy are also in the campaign fray actively.

However, the TRS too has taken the contest seriously and feels that this time it would easily win the seat. TRS working president K T Rama Rao, who is heading the campaign, said that if the Congress wins it will be benefit only Uttam and if the TRS wins it will benefit the people of Huzurnagar.

Analysts say that the BJP had taken most of the TRS votes in Parliament elections and was able to win Adilabad, Karimnagar and Nizamabad Parliamentary constituencies as the Congress had indirectly helped its candidates.

Even the TRS had made this allegation soon after the results. The Congress came third in those constituencies. But the BJP, however, denied this and said the party had grown in strength.

The BJP, they say, had taken a vote share of 19 per cent in the Lok Sabha elections, indicating that it is not dependent on any crutches to win the elections.

According to sources, the Congress is also trying hard to get the support of the Telugu Desam in Huzurnagar.