TRS surges ahead in Dubbak, BJP on back foot

Hyderabad: Campaigning for the Dubbak by-poll came to an end at 5pm on Sunday after a high octane electioneering that saw the ruling TRS surge ahead of its principal opponents BJP and Congress, both riddled with controversies and mass desertions in the run up to the poll. The by-election was necessitated by the death of […]

Hyderabad: Campaigning for the Dubbak by-poll came to an end at 5pm on Sunday after a high octane electioneering that saw the ruling TRS surge ahead of its principal opponents BJP and Congress, both riddled with controversies and mass desertions in the run up to the poll.

The by-election was necessitated by the death of sitting MLA Solipeta Ramalinga Reddy of the ruling party, which has fielded his wife Solipeta Sujatha. M Raghunandan Rao of BJP is trying his luck for a third time after losing his deposits in the two earlier elections, while Congress has fielded turncoat TRS leader Cheruku Srinivas Reddy, son of former Minister Cheruku Mutyam Reddy.

On paper, the contest is triangular between TRS, BJP and the Congress, but the reality is that the BJP, mired in controversies over seizure of massive amounts of cash, is on the back foot, while the Congress has been a virtual non-starter. Both parties also faced mass desertions by leaders and workers who were attracted by the progressive policies of the TRS government.

The TRS campaign, spearheaded by Finance Minister T Harish Rao, has centred around exposing the BJP lies on various counts, besides striving to improve its earlier tally of victory margin to touch the six figure mark. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao virtually dismissed the Dubbak by-poll as a non-issue since the TRS was poised for a massive victory.

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