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Journalism of Courage
The run-up to the Assembly elections in Telangana saw a high-octane campaign by parties, which saw their bigwigs descend on a slew of constituencies across the state, especially in the final leg of the electioneering. The outcome of the polls on Sunday would determine the political fate of over 2,000 candidates who contested from the state’s 119 seats.
The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which has been in power in Telangana for two terms since 2014, is facing its toughest battle with a resurgent Congress posing it a formidable challenge. The BRS, facing perceived “anti-incumbency”, is banking on its various welfare schemes to help it cross the line.
The Congress, on the other hand, is looking to replicate its Karnataka success and expand its foothold in the South. It aims to improve its 2018 tally of 19 seats and is hoping that the leadership of its state chief A Revanth Reddy, who drew massive crowds in his rallies, will help it cross the magic number of 60.
The BJP, which has thus far failed to make inroads in the Assembly election in the state, is looking to improve its 2018 tally of 1 (it won two subsequent bypolls) and show voters
ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections that it is still a force in Telangana three years after its stellar show in the 2020 Hyderabad civic body elections.
The AIMIM, which has forayed into two more seats apart from contesting its traditional seven seats in Old Hyderabad, will look to increase its influence ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
All eyes will be on Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao or KCR, his son and IT Minister K T Rama Rao or KTR, and Finance Minister T Harish Rao. Apart from the trio, focus will also be on the party’s Dubbak candidate and MP, Kotta Prabhakar Reddy, who was stabbed during the campaign. Some other BRS leaders like Sabitha Indra Reddy, Srinivas Goud, Malla Reddy and Indrakaran Reddy also will be keenly watched.
Apart from Revanth Reddy, other Congress contenders who will remain in focus are Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and Mynampally Hanumanth Rao, who quit the BRS to join the party after his son Mynampally Rohith was denied a ticket from Medak.
Some other Congress candidates who will be in the spotlight include Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Naxal-turned-politician Dansari Anasuya aka Seethakka, and Venela, daughter of revolutionary poet Gaddar.
Most of the Telangana BJP’s top brass was in the fray. While all eyes will be on the party’s former state chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and Etala Rajender, other leaders who are likely to hog the limelight include Dharmapuri Arvind, Raghunandan Rao, Adilabad MP Soyam Bapu Rao and Venkata Ramana Reddy.
Kamareddy, by far, will be the seat to watch out for as heavyweights – KCR and Revanth Reddy – lock horns against each other here. KCR, in his sitting Gajwel seat, will be involved in another keen fight with the BJP’s Etala Rajender, who is also contesting from his traditional seat of Huzurabad. Revanth Reddy is contesting from his home turf Kodangal too, where he is up against the BRS’s Minister Patnam Narender Reddy.
Siddipet and Sircilla will be in focus as Harish Rao and KTR are in the fray from these seats, respectively.
From the Goshamahal seat, incumbent BJP MLA T Raja Singh, who is seeking a third term, has been fielded by the party after revoking his suspension. He is up against Nand Kishore Vyas of the BRS and Sunitha Mogili of the Congress. Chandrayangutta Assembly seat, also in Hyderabad’s Old City area like Goshamal, saw AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in the fray against Congress’s B Nagesh and Kowdi Mahender of the BJP.
The Jubilee Hills Assembly seat will also be in the limelight, where the Congress has fielded former Indian cricket team captain Mohammad Azharuddin. He is taking on sitting corporator Rashed Farazuddin of the AIMIM and Maganti Gopinath of the BRS.
The Palair and Madhira Assembly constituencies in Khammam district have become high-profile seats from where Congress leaders Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka are contesting, respectively.
Munugode, which saw a high-profile bypoll last year, will also be keenly watched as Raj Gopal Reddy, who then contested as a BJP candidate, is now the Congress’s choice for the seat. He is locked in a fight with BRS spokesperson Koosukuntla Prabhakar Reddy.
