TRS puts opposition on backfoot in municipal polls

Hyderabad: The municipal elections are posing a big challenge to the opposition parties mainly the Congress which the TRS considers to be their first enemy and the BJP which claims of being the real alternative to Congress.

The electoral skills of these leaders are now being put to test.

As far as TRS is concerned, the Chief Minister has made it clear that it would be the responsibility of the MLAs and MPs to ensure the victory of the party candidates in their Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies, Congress MPs A Revanth Reddy, N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkatreddy and three other BJP MPs D Arvind, B Sanjay and S Babu Rao have an uphill task.

Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency has the highest number of municipalities. It has ten municipalities and this Lok Sabha segment has the largest number of voters in the country.

Revanth Reddy had won this seat amidst tough competition from the ruling party. Hence, it draws greater attention and the responsibility of Revanth to ensure the victory of Congress candidates in these ten municipalities is more.

Revanth Reddy has already launched the campaign though the candidate is yet to be finalised. He is meeting all TRS leaders who were not given the party tickets to contest in the elections.

He visited TRS leader D Dayakar Reddy, who vied for Pirjadiguda Mayor post and succeeded in convincing him to join the Congress party.

Since all the MLAs are from TRS, Revanth is trying to encash the internal squabbles in the TRS in the politically active Medchal, Nagaram, Dundigal municipalities and in Badangpet, Meerpet and Boduppal municipal corporations.

However, TRS leaders claim that all the important leaders at ward level already joined that ruling party and the victory for TRS candidates would be a cake walk.

Ruling party claims that BJP MP Arvind is struggling hard to display his performance in the municipal elections as the TRS has set things right in Nizamabad post the defeat of K Kavitha in the Lok Sabha polls.

Leaders said that the TRS is strong enough in the seven municipalities of Jagtial, Korutla, Raikal, Metpalli, Armoor, Bhodhan and Bheemgal in Nizamabad Lok Sabha segment.

After the defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, the TRS high command had succeeded in winning over all the disgruntled leaders back into the party fold.

"TRS rectified the mistakes committed in the Lok Sabha poll and streamlined the party. Party high command is closely watching the political trends in the Lok Sabha segment," said a party senior leader.

Another leader who did not want to be named said that Kavitha's direct role in the municipal polls is still undecided. Currently, state R&B minister V Prashant Reddy is overseeing the poll arrangements.

They claim that the MP Arvind failed to fulfil the promise to get Turmeric Board and the voters are ready to revolt against him.

But the BJP leaders claim that the party has been strengthened after Arvind won the Lok Sabha elections. They are confident that BJP will grab majority of the municipalities and emerge as a strong player in the Nizamabad municipal corporation.

The politically sensitive Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency is also witnessing an interesting fight. Karimnagar MP Sanjay's recent controversial statements against TRS and AIMIM intensified political slugfest between the rivals.

Leaders said that TRS will win Karimnagar municipal corporation and Huzurabad, Choppadandi, Kothapplly, Vemulawada, Jammikunta and Siricilla municipalities hands down.

BJP and Congress leaders are confident that the triangle fight will help them to win more number of wards.

In Nalgonda and Bhongir Lok Sabha segments, represented by Uttam and Komatireddy, TRS is giving tough fight to the Congress.

Though the two Reddy leaders maintained stronghold in the segments, several Congress leaders have joined TRS ahead of the elections. The elections in the two segments were projected as the fight between the two MPs and the local TRS MLAs.

In Adilabad, the sitting BJP MP Babu Rao consolidated the party in all five municipalities of Adilabad, Nirmal, Khanapur, Bhainsa and Kagaznagar.

State Forest and Environment minister A Indrakaran Reddy has been given the responsibility of the TRS win in the elections.