Nalgonda: With the returning officer issuing the notification for the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda graduates MLC poll on Tuesday, the heat is on with political parties and candidates positioning themselves for the March 14 electoral battle. Besides the MLC poll, the impending by-election to the Nagarjuna Sagar Assembly constituency, which fell vacant following the death of Nomula Narasimaiah, has also brought sharp focus on the district.
In addition to these two seats, an election will also be held for the Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad graduates MLC constituency on March 14, and political parties are focusing all their energies on these polls as they are seen as critical to future political calculations. The TRS, which has stolen a march over the others in campaigning, Congress, BJP and Left are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the victory of their candidates.
Of the 4,91,396 total voters for the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda graduates MLC election, 1,85,943 are from erstwhile Nalgonda district, constituting over 37 per cent. Among them, 88,351 voters are in Nalgonda, 60,020 in Suryapet and 37,572 in Yadadri-Bhongir districts. With a sizable chunk of voters based in erstwhile Nalgonda district, all the political parties are putting in that bit of extra effort in wooing the voters here.
The TRS has announced Telangana Rythu Bandhu Samithi president Palla Rajeshwar Reddy as its candidate for the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda graduates MLC election while the Congress had fielded Ramulu Naik as its candidate. Telangana Jana Samithi founder president Prof Kodandaram, Yuva Telangana Party leader Rani Rudhrama Reddy and Telangana Inti Party founder president Dr Cheruku Sudhakar Reddy are also among the candidates. The Left parties have decided to support the candidature of Vijaya Simha Reddy.
Rajeshwar Reddy is way ahead of the others in the campaign, conducting TRS electors preparatory meetings for the last 20 days. He also conducted meetings with employees of private schools besides interacting with morning walkers regularly.
The political heat is only getting hotter with ruling party and opposition leaders throwing challenges and counter challenges for open debates on the development of the district, which has attracted the attention of people across the State. For Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy, who represents the district, the poll is prestigious and he has been extensively attending party meetings in different constituencies of erstwhile Nalgonda district.
Congress candidate Ramulu Naik was a relatively late starter when he launched his election campaign from Huzurnagar in Suryapet district on Tuesday.
For the Nagarjuna Sagar by-poll, there is still no clarity on the candidates of the TRS and the BJP while senior Congress leader K Jana Reddy has been projecting himself as the party candidate.
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