Telangana polls: Congress-TRS at war

In 2004 and 2009 general elections, though Telangana movement was strong in Western parts of RR district, it was confined to a couple of constituencies. After the AP Bifurcation Bill, 2014, was passed by Parliament, the TRS wave has gripped the district. Three MLAs and one MLC from the TDP joined the TRS. In Eastern division also the TRS could attract strong leaders from other parties. But in the outskirts of the district, the TRS influence was supposed to be negligible and the fight used to be essentially between the TDP and the Congress. But with the TRS wind blowing in a strong fashion, the contest is expected to be triangular and keen.

Malkajgiri (LS): This is a unique constituency. There are voters in this constituency who came from all parts of the country. There are about 30 lakh voters. Among them the number of educated and politically sensitive voters is also extraordinary. The BJP-TDP alliance has fielded Chamakura Mallareddy, a popular educationist, as TDP candidate. While a TDP leader till recently, Mynampalli Hanumantha Rao is the TRS candidate now. He wanted TDP ticket to contest from Malkajgiri Assembly constituency. It was allocated to the BJP. Hanumantha Rao got upset, left the party, went to Delhi along with TPCC president Ponnala Laxmaiah and joined the Congress party in the presence of Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary in charge of AP. When he did not find his name in the list of the Congress candidates, he contacted K Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR), president of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) who promptly admitted him into his party and honoured him with a ticket to contest for LS seat. The sitting MP and Union Minister Sarve Satyanarayana is there in the fray as the Congress candidate once again. Three high profile contestants - Dr Jayaprakash Narayan of Lok Satta, Professor Nageswar, MLC, and former DGP Dinesh Reddy - are also in the field. Former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s grandson Dr Sudha Kiran was fielded by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Though there are many other candidates in the fray, the main fight is between the BJP-TDP alliance and the Congress candidates. In 2009, there was a positive wind for the Congress. Its candidate Sarvey Satyanarayana was polled 3,88,368 votes and his rival Bhimsen of the TDP got 2,95,024 votes. Nallu Indrasena Reddy who was the BJP candidate received 1,30,206. If the votes polled by the TDP and the BJP are added up they will be more than the votes polled by the Congress. But then, there has been a lot of depletion in the TDP strength with sitting MLAs going out of the party. Even then, the BJP-TDP alliance is in a position to give a fight to the Congress and the TRS.

Medchal: BJP-TDP alliance has fielded Thotakura Jangaiah Yadav here. TRS candidate is Mallipeddi Sudhir Reddy. Sitting MLA Kichennagari Laxma Reddy is the Congress candidate again. While the BJP-TDP alliance and the TRS candidates hail from the same Mandal, Laxma Reddy is considered an outsider. The candidate who can mobilise more votes in Keesara and Shamirpet Mandals would emerge winner. TRS candidate Sudhir Reddy is likely to eat into TDP vote. In 2009, Kichennagari Laxmareddy was polled 69,312 votes, his rival and TDP candidate Nakka Prabhakar Goud got 63,742 votes. The Congress candidate won by a margin of 5,570 votes. The main contest is between the TRS and the Congress candidates.

Qutbullapur: The sitting MLA from this constituency Kuna Srisailam Yadav is again in the fray as Congress candidate. Vivekanand is there in the field as BJP-TDP alliance candidate. TRS has fielded Kolanu Hanmantha Reddy. YSRCP has nominated Kolanu Srinivasa Reddy. There is a quadrangular contest in this constituency. In the last general election, Kuna Srisailam Goud as independent candidate was polled 57,753 votes as against 30,534 votes received by the TRS candidate. Now the main contest is between the Congress and the BJP-TDP alliance.

Kukatpally: Sitting MLA Dr Jayaprakash Narayan is contesting for Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat. He has nominated Katari Srinivas Rao as Lok Satta candidate in the Assembly constituency. While TRS has fielded Gottumukkala Padmarao, the BJP-TDP alliance has put up Madavaram Krishna Rao. Jampanna Pratap is the YSRCP candidate. Congress has fielded a Corporator from Boinpally, Muddam Narasing Yadav. There is no Telangana sentiment in this constituency. The votes of the so-called settlers are going to be crucial. A keen contest is expected between the TDP and the Congress. TRS also is not lagging behind. It has been picking up in the last lap of the campaign. In the last election, JP was polled 71,753 votes while Vaddepalli Narasing Rao of the Congress received 56,110 votes.

Uppal: This constituency is in the outskirts of the city of Hyderabad. The BJP-TDP alliance has fielded BJP leader NVSS Prabhakar. Bandari Laxma Reddy is in the field as the Congress candidate. Bhethi Subhash Reddy is testing his luck as TRS candidate. All the candidates are locals. The main contest is between the Congress and the BJP-TDP alliance. In the last election, Bandari Rajireddy was polled 57,874 votes as against 29,691 votes received by the TRS candidate Yadagiri Reddy.

LB Nagar: This constituency has a special significance since the TDP Chief Ministerial candidate R Krishaniah, BC leader, is a candidate on behalf of the BJP-TDP alliance. Sitting MLA Sudhir Reddy is in the fray as the Congress candidate once again. Muddagoni Rammohan Goud who defected from the Congress was given TRS ticket. Sudhir Reddy is a popular leader and a known face. The fight is mainly between the Congress and the TDP candidates. In 2009, Sudhir Reddy was polled 67,510 votes while the TDP candidate SV Krishna Prasad got 50,368 votes. Krishna Prasad who was TDP candidate in the last election did not get the party ticket this time. He switched over to the Congress party.

Malkajgiri: The BJP-TDP alliance has fielded BJP National Executive member and prominent lawyer N Ramachandra Rao. Kanaka Reddy is in the fray as TRS candidate. Congress has put up Nandikanti Sridhar. Sitting MLA Akula Rajender had joined TRS but he did not get the ticket. He is not in the fray. The TRS has nominated Kanaka Reddy who in the last election stood in the second place as PRP candidate. The main contest is between the TRS and the BJP-TDP alliance. In the last elections, Congress candidate Akula Rajender was polled 57,629 votes as against 47,434 votes received by Kanaka Reddy.

Ibrahimpatnam: Congress district committee president Kyama Mallesh is in the fray as party candidate while the BJP-TDP alliance has fielded sitting MLA Manchireddy Kishan Reddy. TRS has put up Sekhar Reddy, an educationist, as its candidate. Malreddy Ranga Reddy’s brother Malreddy Ramreddy who aspired for the Congress ticket but failed to get is in the fray as an Independent candidate. Ramreddy is expected to give a good fight to the candidates of mainstream parties. This Assembly constituency falls under Bhuvanagiri LS constituency. There is a Congress rebel. If the Congress votes are divided between the party candidate and the rebel, TDP candidate Manchireddy Kishen Reddy may scrape through. But he has to overcome problems with the cadres of his own party. In the last election, Manchireddy Kishenreddy was polled 56,508 votes while Malreddy Ranga Reddy of the Congress received 47,292 votes. Former minister Devender Goud was in third position.

Chevella (LS): This has become a very hot Lok Sabha constituency. Union Minister Sudini Jaipal Reddy is the sitting MP. He moved to Mahabubnagar this time. Though the constituency is very near to Hyderabad it is far from developed. The constituency comprises the western part of RR district. There is a grandson of a former deputy chief minister and sons of two former home ministers in the fray. This constituency was carved out in 2008. First election took place in 2009 when the Congress candidate Jaipal Reddy was polled 18,532 votes more than the votes received by TDP candidate AP Jitender Reddy. Baddam Balreddy, Kasani Jnaneswar, Kummari Giri and Dr B Raghuveera Reddy gave a good fight. Telangana movement was strong in this constituency. Three sitting MLAs and one MLC have left the TDP to join the TRS. This constituency has Maheswaram, Rajendranagar, Serilingampally,Chevella, Parigi, Vikarabad and Tandur Assembly segments.

There are 15 candidates vying for Chevella LS seat. Konda Visweswara Reddy, grandson of former Dy CM Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy, after whom the district was named, is contesting the election on TRS ticket. Patolla Kartik Reddy, son of former ministers Sabita and Indra Reddy, is the Congress candidate. Tulla Virender, son of Devender Goud, former Home Minister, is in the fray as the BJP-TDP alliance candidate. YSRCP has Konda Raghava Reddy, AAP has Regatti Venkata Reddy in the field. Kummari Giri who was polled some 30,000 votes in the last election is in the fray on behalf of Pyramid party. Before the bifurcation of the State, Indra Reddy and Sabita Indra Reddy have been winning continuously from Chevella constituency. The TRS has become strong of late with the joining of TDP leaders and cadres. TRS candidate also is very strong personally. He is the son-in-law of P Chandrasekhara Reddy, owner of Apollo Hospitals. He is also a grandson of a politician who was known to be a strong votary of Telangana as a separate State. Devender Goud, former ZP chairman in this area, also has considerable clout. The main fight is between the three candidates of the Congress, TRS and the TDP.

Serilingampally: The sitting MLA here is Bhikhapati Yadav of the Congress party. He is contesting again on Congress ticket. TDP candidate Arikepudi Gandhi and TRS man Shankar Goud are in the fray. YSRCP has fielded Mukka Rupananda Reddy. Software Engineers and people of Seemandhra area are more in this constituency. In the last election the Lok Satta candidate did well here. AAP may also show some effect. There may be surprising result from this constituency this time in view of the wide range of candidates in the LS constituency. In 2009, the TDP candidate Satyanarayana lost just by 1300 votes. But he did not get the party ticket this time. Raghuveera Reddy who contested for the Chevella LS seat on Lok Satta ticket was polled more votes in this constituency.

Rajendranagar: Muslims voters are considerable in this constituency. Prakash Goud, sitting TDP MLA, is in the fray again on the TDP ticket. Jnaneswar who lost in the hands of Prakash Goud in the last election is again the Congress candidate this time. TRS has given ticket to Swarnalata. MIM which fielded a Hindu candidate from this constituency was polled considerable number of votes. Owaisi brothers have given ticket to Zakir Hussain Javed this time. YSRCP also has nominated a Muslim candidate. In 2009, while the TDP candidate Prakash Goud got 49,522 votes, Congress candidate Jnaneswar was polled 42,037 votes. The fight again is between the TDP and the Congress.

Maheswaram: Sabita Indra Reddy, former Home Minister and mother of Kartik Reddy, Congress candidate in Chevella LS constituency, is the sitting MLA. Malreddy Ranga Reddy is the Congress candidate in her place this time. Though this seat was allocated to the CPI according to the seat sharing agreement, the Congress rebel is continuing in the field. TDP candidate is Tigala Krishna Reddy, former Mayor, and TRS candidate is Kotha Manohar Reddy. Former Rajya Sabha member Ajit Pasha is in the fray on the CPI ticket. Both the Congress and the TDP have strong roots in this constituency. Although Malreddy Ranga Reddy, Congress rebel, filed his nomination at the last movement, he got YSRCP candidate and MIM candidate to withdraw from contest in his favour. The main contest is between the Congress and the TDP. In 2009, Patolla Sabita Reddy was polled 67,510 votes while Tigal Krishna Reddy of the TDP got 57,244 votes.

Chevella (SC): The sitting MLA KS Ratnam of the TDP had switched over to the TRS. He is the TRS candidate in the field. TDP has fielded Mekala Ravinder while the Congress has put up Kale Yadaiah. This is the fiefdom of Patolla family. TRS candidate Ratnam is a close follower of Sabita. This may lead to cross voting by TRS voters in the LS election. TRS LS candidate Visweswara Reddy has been bestowing special attention on this constituency. Telangana sentiment is strong here. The Congress party is not very strong today. Ratnam is hoping to romp home once again. In 2009, Ratnam was polled 62,332 votes as TDP candidate as against 60,083 votes received by Congress candidate Yadaiah.

Parigi: Sitting TDP MLA Harishwar Reddy left the party and joined the TRS. He is the TRS candidate in the fray this time. He won five times from this constituency so far. Former minister Kamatam Ramireddy is contesting on the BJP ticket. The Congress has fielded Ramamohan Reddy. These three leaders had electoral clashes earlier also. This time the TRS is strong in this constituency. Kamatam expected the Congress ticket. When it was not forthcoming he opted to join the saffron party. In 2009 election, Hariswar Reddy was polled 53,033 votes while Independent candidate T Rammohan Reddy received 38,655 votes.

Vikarabad: Former Minister Prasad Kumar is the sitting Congress MLA. Earlier S Chandrasekhar won from this constituency five times. He won four times on the TDP ticket and once on the TRS ticket. Now Pushpaleela was fielded as the BJP-TDP candidate. Sanjeeva Rao, who earlier contested on TDP ticket, is now in the fray as TRS candidate. Sanjeeva Rao is giving a good fight. Prasada Kumar is likely to retain the seat. In the last election, Prasad Kumar received 58,810 votes as against 53,951 polled by Chandrasekhar.

Tandoor: Mahinder Reddy, sitting TDP MLA, also has jumped into TRS bandwagon. He is in the fray on TRS ticket. TDP has fielded Narender. Congress has put up former minister Narayana Rao. Mahinder Reddy is fighting incumbency factor. He is known to be against Telangana movement. However, the TRS is popular here. This may ferry the sitting MLA to the winning post once again. Kartik Reddy and Mahinder Reddy are close relatives. In the last election, Mahinder Reddy was polled 63,737 votes as against 50,534 votes polled by Munukud Ramesh.

Rajendernagar and Serilingampally may give unexpected results. Whichever candidate may win in Maheswaram segment, Kartik Reddy can mobilise more votes than his rivals. Rural constituencies like Parigi, Chevella, Tandoor and Vikarabad are reverberating Telangana sentiment. The Congress has hold in Vikarabad constituency. RR district which was witnessing battles between the TDP and the Congress all these years is poised to see three cornered contests and provide foothold for the TRS.