Mission 5 to beat TRS

Hyderabad: While the ruling TRS has set the target of winning 16 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the ensuing elections, the Congress and BJP adopted 'Mission 5' strategy to win at least five seats each in the crucial Parliament elections.

The two parties have already identified five potential Lok Sabha seats where the respective leaderships strongly believe that they have 100 per cent chances of winning the polls.

The Congress leadership, which has been fighting against all odds in the wake of mass exodus of party MLAs and senior leaders into the TRS, has been concentrating all its efforts on Chevella, Bhongir, Nalgonda, Khammam and Malkajgiri seats.

It has fielded senior leaders - TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy in Nalgonda, TPCC working president A Revanth Reddy in Malkajgiri, senior leader Komatireddy Venkat Reddy in Bhongir, Renuka Chowdary in Khammam and sitting MP K Vishweshwar Reddy in Chevella.

Congress leaders say that the party high command has instructed the Telangana Congress leadership to ensure the victory of the party at least in five LS seats. "Senior most leaders in the AICC are watching closely the poll campaign taken up by the five candidates and giving necessary tips to counter the TRS.

The leaders are asked to take up extensive campaign on NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana)- a minimum income guarantee scheme announced as part of the party poll promises by Congress president Rahul Gandhi," a senior leader said.

The Congress will launch an intensified campaign on the scheme in the last week of the campaign in Telangana. Once the AICC president releases the party manifesto, some more important promises to be made by the party will be added in the intensified campaign.

"Despite the party is facing difficult time with the spate of defections to the TRS, the AICC is extending enough support to the contestants," the leader said, adding that the Congress is still maintaining strong hold on these five segments.

Harping on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity, the Telangana BJP unit is going aggressive in the Lok Sabha elections as the saffron party failed to win at least five seats in the just concluded Assembly elections.

It could win only a single seat as against five in the 2014 elections. The BJP has set a target to win Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat, from where senior leader N Ramachander Rao is contesting, Secunderabad (G Kishan Reddy), Nizamabad (D Arvind), Nagarkurnool (Bangaru Shruthi) and Mahbubnagar (DK Aruna).

The state leadership is confident that the BJP has bright chances to win Malkajgiri and Secunderabad seats as the party has strong cadre network. Arvind is working hard in Nizamabad, considered the fortress of sitting TRS MP K Kavitha, who targeted to win the seat for the second consecutive time by a margin of 5 lakh votes.

The sudden entry of nearly 170 farmers as contestants in the election fray is giving jitters to the leaders of main parties. His promise of providing minimum support price to maize and turmeric farmers within a week after his win in the elections and the assurance given by Kavitha that she will protect the interests of the distressed farmers took a centre stage in the poll campaign.

Former Congress leader and BJP candidate Aruna from Mahbubnagar raised party's hopes of winning the seat. The joining of TRS MP AP Jitendar Reddy in the BJP will help Aruna to give tough fight to the TRS in Mahbubnagar.

Former BJP national president Bangaru Lakshman's daughter Shruthi's sudden entry into the electoral battle in the SC reserved Nagarkurnool segment may help the party to give a tough fight to the Congress and the TRS.

"Modi's popularity, farmers welfare and Ayushman health scheme will ensure the party win in at least five seats ," one of the contestants Ramachander Rao said.