Telangana: It’s advantage TRS in MLC elections
Ruling party is leaving no stone unturned to reach out to the graduate voters in both the constituencies
Hyderabad: With less than two weeks left for polling day on March 14, electioneering for the two graduate constituencies of Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad and Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda has gathered momentum, but all indicators are that its advantage TRS.
The ruling party that was the first off the block in the electoral race is leaving no stone unturned to reach out to the graduate voters in both the constituencies and deployed its top leaders to not only retain its sitting MLC seat of Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda, but also wrest Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad constituency from the BJP. And the party is confident on both counts.
The Opposition parties, late starters in the campaign trail, appear to be having a tough time catching up. Except for a couple of leaders, no major leader from either the Congress or the BJP has been spotted in the two constituencies, giving scope to speculation that the candidates of these parties have been left to fend for themselves.
Sitting TRS MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy commenced his poll campaign almost immediately after the Election Commission notification and has been touring Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda graduates constituency extensively for almost two months now.
Soon after his candidature was finalised, Chief Minister and TRS President K Chandrashekhar Rao directed Ministers G Jagadish Reddy, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Satyavathi Rathod and P Ajay Kumar along with other top leaders in this district to extend all support to ensure Rajeshwar Reddy’s victory, and they got into the action immediately.
Though the TRS announced the candidature of Surabhi Vani Devi from Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad constituency a bit late, the party leadership is making all efforts to register a handsome victory. The TRS has taken it as a prestige issue and is all set to debunk the Opposition claims that they were gaining strength in urban pockets of the State. Besides TRS working president and Minister K T Rama Rao spearheading the campaign, Ministers T Harish Rao, Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Vemula Prashanth Reddy, who are known as go-getters and troubleshooters in the party, have been deployed to campaign on behalf of Vani Devi. The party leadership also appointed its legislators and other party leaders as in-charges for every Assembly constituency. Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao is reportedly keeping a close watch on the campaign and guiding the party leaders on poll strategies.
On the other hand, there is no perceptible support from the party leadership for Congress and BJP candidates in both constituencies. Congress candidates G Chinna Reddy from Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad constituency and Ramulu Naik from Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda constituency, started their campaign only after the election schedule was announced, and save for TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy campaigning on their behalf, no major leaders have been seen around them so far.
Congress Legislative Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other top leaders have largely confined themselves to protests against the new farm laws. Senior Congress leaders including MP Komatireddy Venkatreddy, his brother and MLA Rajagopal Reddy from Nalgonda, former Minister K Jana Reddy who is aspiring to contest the Nagarjuna Sagar bypolls, are conspicuous by their absence.
BJP too is in the same boat with party candidate and sitting MLC N Ramchander Rao largely depending on his being a known face in Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubnagar Graduates MLC constituency. BJP candidate G Premender Reddy too is fighting a lone battle from the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda graduates constituency with the support of local leaders so far.
