Sitting MPs throw their hat in Assembly polls ring

The concept of sitting MPs contesting Assembly elections is not new and has happened in the past also. Parties and candidates consider this option to assess their winning prospects.

Hyderabad: Many MPs from opposition parties are keen to contest the Assembly elections this time and have already made things very evident to their party leaderships. Though not strange, the situation is common to both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the State. MPs from both parties are assessing different prospects, especially with an eye on their political future. Amidst these assessments and calculations, the party cadre is caught in a dilemma.

To begin with, Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy has taken a plunge in contesting the Assembly elections from the Nalgonda constituency. On behalf of the MP, Nalgonda district Congress leaders have filed an application at Gandhi Bhavan. Interestingly, TPCC president A Revanth Reddy, the sitting MP from Malkajgiri, is also preparing the ground to contest from the Kodangal constituency. His followers in the constituency filed an application last Thursday.

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Similarly, Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy had announced that he would contest the Assembly elections from Huzurnagar constituency. His wife, former MLA Padmavathi Reddy, would be contesting from the Kodad constituency.

This trend is continuing in the State BJP as well. Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind is reportedly evincing interest in contesting either from Armoor or Nizamabad Urban Assembly constituencies. Likewise, Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay is also weighing options of contesting from Vemulawada or other Assembly constituencies in the erstwhile Karimnagar district.

Why do MPs prefer to contest Assembly elections?

The concept of sitting MPs contesting Assembly elections is not new and has happened in the past also. Parties and candidates consider this option to assess their winning prospects. And more so, there is nothing to lose either for the party or the candidate. For instance, if a sitting MP plans to contest the Assembly elections, he or she does not have to resign. They will have to take a call on continuing as MP only if they win the MLA elections. Further, if they lose the MLA elections, they continue as MP and fight the Parliamentary elections, as and when announced.

Having considered all these aspects, political analysts say that it would be a challenge for the candidate and his cadre to convince the voters. “If an MP contests MLA elections and loses it, then it would be tough for him to win the voters confidence in the next MP elections,” said an analyst.