Munugode turns into political hotbed

Hyderabad: Munugode is fast turning into a political hot bed. Political parties are vying with each other to prove their upmanship even before the bypoll schedule is announced formally. They are putting in their best efforts to win this poll war which many are considering as the litmust test before the final battle for the […]

Hyderabad: Munugode is fast turning into a political hot bed. Political parties are vying with each other to prove their upmanship even before the bypoll schedule is announced formally. They are putting in their best efforts to win this poll war which many are considering as the litmust test before the final battle for the Assembly in 2023.

The ruling TRS led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao remains a frontrunner in terms of preparations and public outreach. The Chief Minister is scheduled to address the constituents of Munugode Assembly segment at a public meeting on Saturday. The BJP is not willing to lag behind to make its presence felt. For the Congress party, it has become an issue of ‘Do or Die’.

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The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy who is scheduled to join the BJP. Rajgopal Reddy is set to re-contest the seat, on a BJP ticket.

The TRS lost the Munugode seat to the Congress with a thin margin of 22,500 votes during the 2018 elections and is confident to regain its ground by winning the upcoming bypoll. The party had already begun its preparations and multiple meetings were held to bring together the party leaders to put up a united fight. The party President and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is all set to address a massive public meeting in the constituency on Saturday where he is likely to announce the party candidate.

“Multiple surveys conducted in the constituency, have indicated an edge to the ruling party and thus, the number of aspirants for the party ticket has gone up. But, the party leadership already addressed their issues and it would be visible at the public meeting scheduled on Saturday,” a senior TRS leader told Telangana Today. The party leadership has already drawn plans to launch the poll campaign and reach out to every beneficiary of the government schemes to seek their votes.

Further, the resignation of its sitting MLA has become a major disadvantage for the Congress which is treating the bypoll as a prestige issue. But lack of unity within the party leaders and the party MP Komatireddy Venkata Reddy who is also brother of Rajgopal Reddy, poses a major challenge for the party. Losing the by-election would only weaken the party within the State Assembly as well as likely to demoralise the party cadre before the Assembly elections in 2023.

On the other hand, the BJP is desperate to make its presence felt in the State and utilise the bypoll for the same. Accordingly, union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a public meeting on Sunday where Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy is likely to join the party formally. However, the BJP barely has any presence in erstwhile Nalgonda district and is highly relying on the Komatireddy brothers to build its cadre.