Huzurabad all set to go for bypoll

2.37 lakh voters eligible to exercise their franchise

Hyderabad: It is going to be a nerve-racking experience not only for voters but also for the politicians of all hues, as Huzurabad is all set to go for bypoll on Saturday. The fate of the contenders in one of the keenest electoral battles in recent history will be sealed literally in the ballot boxes by Saturday evening and the outcome will be known only on November 2.

While the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) candidate Gellu Srinivas Yadav is confident of creating history as a ‘giant killer’ by defeating the BJP nominee Eatala Rajendar, a political veteran, the BJP camp appeared to be fighting for the attention of voters. That the BJP camp was diffident was evident on Friday when they failed to rake up a controversy over the BJP candidate not being allowed to address a press conference in Huzurabad. But the efforts only ended in vain, with authorities making it clear that it was the Election Commission guideline that all parties would have to adhere to.

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Then came the second failed drama after the close aide of Rajendar shooting off a message on WhatsApp in a group asking his comrades to examine whether they should start a misinformation campaign about State Government stopping Rytu Bandhu financial assistance to farmers cultivating paddy. The message, which was posted in the wrong group and deleted within seconds, did not escape the attention of the TRS leadership. Within minutes, Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy called the bluff and laid it out threadbare the Goebbelsian propaganda scheme, at a press conference.

Huzurabad constituency has an electorate of 2.37 lakh voters and consists of mandals of Illadakunta, Veenavanka, Kamalapuram, Huzurabad and Jammikunta. More than 20 companies of paramilitary force have been deployed to ensure free and fair polling in the Huzurabad Assembly segment, bypolls to which were necessitated with the resignation of Eatala Rajendar from the Assembly after he was embroiled in a huge controversy over his questionable acquisition of lands in Hyderabad. Soon after his resignation which preceded his sacking from the Cabinet, Rajender switched his loyalties to the BJP.

Earlier in the day, high drama ensued with Rajender inviting media for a press conference at Madhuvani Gardens in Huzurabad at 11 am. Upon learning about the MCMC directions, he shifted the venue to Gayatri Grand Hotel in Warangal at 1 pm. However, the ECI guidelines were also applicable in the Warangal district where the model code of conduct was in force due to the presence of part of the Huzurabad constituency.

When the police tried to intervene, Rajender along with former MP G Vivek Venkataswamy and other BJP leaders argued with the police. Though the media was officially informed about the press conference at 1 pm, Rajender claimed that he was there only to have his lunch. When the police restricted him to a room at the hotel, Vivek Venkataswamy who is also a star campaigner addressed the press conference, alleging that the State government was using the police force which was otherwise functioning as per the EC orders.

Meanwhile, the BJP attempts to spread false propaganda hours before polling also backfired after it got leaked in the media. Rajender’s PRO had suggested to the BJP leaders to consider spreading false news that the State government was planning to stop the Rythu Bandhu scheme to paddy farmers in the State and the orders would be issued minutes after the Huzurabad bypoll. He mistakenly posted the message in a media group and hastily removed it. However, the issue came to light after some journalists took screenshots of the message and posted it on social media.

Reacting to the BJP violating the EC orders, Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy ridiculed the BJP for resorting to silly politics and violating the EC guidelines. He clarified to farmers that the Rythu Bandhu scheme will not be stopped and instead, every farmer with land in Telangana State would get the amount as long as Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao rules the State.

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