One-upmanship moves for Dubbaka bypoll

Hyderabad: The bye-election to Dubbaka Assembly constituency has become a litmus test for the TRS, Congress party and BJP. While the TRS has put the responsibility of winning the seat on the shoulders of Finance Minister T Harish Rao, the Congress has entrusted the job to party in-charge Manickam Tagore.

On the other hand, the BJP is looking towards its state president Bandi Sanjay to see that the party wins the seat. Keeping in view the ruling party would normally have advantage in any bye-election, the Congress and BJP announced their candidates much ahead of the poll date was announced. Congress announced the name of Ch Srinivas and BJP had put up M Raghunandan Rao. The TRS fielded S Sujatha wife of Ramalinga Reddy.

The bye-election was necessitated following the death of Ramalinga Reddy.With T Harish Rao leaving no stone unturned and taking up high-voltage election campaign, Manickam Tagore has not only roped in all senior Congress leaders like Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and V Hanumanth Rao for campaign but also has asked TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and working president Revanth Reddy to camp in the constituency till the curtains on the campaign are pulled down.

Their mainline of campaign is to highlight the omissions and commissions of the government. They are also depending on the popularity of former minister Ch Muthyam Reddy during the undivided Andhra Pradesh.

The State BJP, which lost in 2014 and 2018, has taken up the polls very seriously this time. It has decided to make it a high-octane campaign. Party leaders say, "We will expose the government's misdeeds and failures in all aspects. TRS government has become a family rule." Winning this seat has become prime importance for BJP as it has to face the GHMC elections soon.

The ruling party on the other hand is using the services of all legislators of old Medak district to galvanise the party cadre.

TRS working president KT Rama Rao is likely to conduct a roadshow and attend a public meeting before the election.

TRS leaders are banking on the development that had been taken up in Dubbaka and the sympathy factor since it had fielded the wife of Ramalinga Reddy who was a popular figure in the constituency.

TRS claims that it will win the seat by nearly by a majority of one lakh votes. In 2018 election, Ramalinga Reddy had secured a majority of over 62,000 votes. The total electorate in the constituency is around 1.82 lakh.

Amidst this scenario, it is being said all parties were likely to fall back on liquor and money one week before the elections.