Munugode bypoll: Revanth-led Congress comes a cropper again

Hyderabad: The Congress lost the Munugode bypoll in the most miserable manner it could, and so did the leadership of TPCC president A Revanth Reddy. For the party, it was a humiliating defeat, considering that out of the 12 previous Assembly elections in the constituency, the Congress had won six times, out of which five […]

Hyderabad: The Congress lost the Munugode bypoll in the most miserable manner it could, and so did the leadership of TPCC president A Revanth Reddy.

For the party, it was a humiliating defeat, considering that out of the 12 previous Assembly elections in the constituency, the Congress had won six times, out of which five times the winner was current candidate Palvai Sravanthi‘s father Palvai Govardhan Reddy.

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For Revanth Reddy, however, it has been one setback after the other after he took over the reins of the State Congress, which was already in dire straits. Right from the GHMC elections in December 2020 to the Huzurabad bypoll in November 2021, the Congress party fared poorly in all the elections under Revanth Reddy, who had claimed to change the fortunes of the grand old party in Telangana.

Revanth Reddy’s tactics to field NSUI leader B Venkat in the Huzurabad bypoll and indirectly support BJP candidate Etala Rajender cost the Congress dearly as Venkat lost his deposit in the elections. The losing streak has shown no signs of stopping, with the GHMC elections rubbing in the salt after the party could win just two out of 150 divisions.

This was followed by disastrous performances in the MLC elections in Local Authorities Constituencies and in the Hyderabad – Rangareddy – Mahabubnagar Graduates constituency as well.

Much was at stake for the TPCC Chief in the Munugode bypoll, given that the constituency was for long a Congress stronghold, but his indirect barbs that ‘to win elections, only superior police officials are required and home guards do not matter’ left the already torn party in complete tatters.

Another blow was that despite being considered the party’s star campaigner, Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy did not campaign for the party at all in Munugode. As if that was not enough, audio clips came out of him making phone calls to Congress leaders to work for his brother and BJP candidate Komatireddy Venkat Reddy’s victory.

With women constituting half of the enrolled voters, Revanth Reddy’s appeasement tactics of promising to allot 15 tickets to women candidates in the next elections and a Ministerial post for Sravanthi, when the Congress came to power, also did not turn the tide in favour of the Congress.