A battle of the rich in Chevella seat, where Hyderabad’s IT hub meets its neglected parts

At Rs 4,568 crore combined family assets, Konda Vishweshwar, an entrepreneur, is the richest of all the 525 candidates in the fray from the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies of Telangana. His wife Sangitha Reddy belongs to the family that owns Apollo Hospitals, and is an MD with the chain, with her assets at Rs 3,208 crore, making up the bulk of their wealth.

Rangareddy district, which is part of the Chevella constituency, is named after Konda Vishweshwar’s grandfather Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy, who had fought against the Razakars and was the first deputy CM of united Andhra Pradesh.

The bus stand at Chevella Town on a hot afternoon. People here share mixed feelings about who they want to vote for. (Express photo by Rahul V Pisharody)

In 2014, the first Lok Sabha election after the creation of Telangana, Konda Vishweshwar won from Chevella on the ticket of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (as the BRS was known then). He then moved to the Congress, but failed to win the seat in 2019 on its ticket. In 2022, he jumped to the BJP.

The Congress candidate, G Ranjith, is the sitting MP from Chevella, having won the seat in 2019 as a BRS candidate. The owner of a poultry business, he switched to the Congress just months ago.

This puts the BRS in the piquant position of facing off against two of its former MPs in Chevella. The party has chosen for the seat veteran OBC leader Kasani Gnaneshwar Mudiraj, who himself crossed to the BRS from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) last year. OBCs form a large part of the Chevella constituency.

Vote shares in the Chevella Lok Sabha constituency.

Mudiraj owns large tracts of agricultural land, and immovable assets like commercial and residential buildings.

Of the seven Assembly segments here, the Congress won four and the BRS three in the Assembly polls in November 2023.

Konda Vishweshwar claims the BJP is leading in all the seven segments, and that he would win by 2 lakh votes. “Chevalla has a diverse rural and urban population, covering the IT to agriculture sectors. In my manifesto, I have offered schemes to complement both. Not only do I have innovative solutions in mind, but have also visited every village and school,” he told The Indian Express.

G Ranjith, who defeated Konda Vishweshwar by 14,000 votes in 2019, says his work as an MP in the last five years will mean a victory for the Congress from the seat. Going door-to-door to campaign, he says that Chevella voters had supported the BRS twice, when it was in power in the state, but that this time, it has no narrative, leaders or cadres.

The TSPA-Manneguda stretch of Bijapur Highway has been notorious for accidents, despite orders for its widening issued 10 years ago. (Express photo by Rahul V Pisharody)

The Congress has launched a campaign called Gadida Guddu (Donkey’s Egg) to describe the BJP’s “contribution” to Telangana. “The Congress is going to form the government at the Centre. The higher the number of Congress MPs from Telangana, the more will be the state’s share of Central resources. The people have seen the Congress deliver on its promises in the last 100 days, while the BJP and BRS failed to implement theirs for the past 10 years,” G Ranjith says.

Konda Vishweshwar says the Congress campaign doesn’t worry him, as the people have realised that the Congress would not be able to fulfill its poll promises. “Today, the Telangana government is functioning because of the Centre. The state is bankrupt. It has nothing left after paying back loans of Rs 80,000 crore, and salaries amounting to Rs 60,000 crore. Had Modi not approved loans of Rs 9,000 crore, and another of Rs 4,000 crore, the state wouldn’t even have managed to pay salaries,” he claims.

Faced with a choice between multi-millionaires, Chevella voters are divided. Abdul Rasheed, an autorickshaw driver from Godlapalli village in Tandur, points out that all the three main candidates are “turncoats”, “more interested in safeguarding their personal wealth and businesses”.

“During polls, we are treated as a family of five voters. But for the next five years, no one bothers about us. The Congress has promised a lot, but they need to implement it without corruption. At least the BRS did a lot for the poor, irrespective of caste or religion. It also has a strong base in Chevella and has the upper hand,” he says.

Rasheed is also unhappy about the Congress government’s free bus travel scheme for women which, he says, has adversely affected his daily income.

K Mahesh, a construction labourer at Chevella town bus stand, also criticises the Congress schemes. “The 200 units of free power promise hasn’t been implemented properly, gas cylinders subsidised to Rs 500 are being sold in the black market. The Congress is focused on making headlines, not doing work,” he says.

Bhaskarachari (on bike) and B Mohan seated outside an underconsruction building on a hot afternoon and discussing politics in Vikarabad town. (Express photo by Rahul V Pisharody)

A supporter of Konda Vishweshwar, Narender Reddy, who owns a laundry and ironing shop in Chevella, says the BJP has considerable support among Hindus. “The Rangareddy district has a per capita income of over Rs 8 lakh, the highest in the state, and yet there is no development. KVR (Konda Vishweshwar) is respectful towards all and is not in politics to make more money. He is educated and innovative. Those who work for the public and not for their own family should be elected,” he says, adding that after its electoral loss last November, the BRS is “finished”.

Narender Reddy and Ch Mahender at a laundry/iron press shop in Chevella. (Express photo by Rahul V Pisharody)

But according to B Mohan, a resident of Sai Baba Nagar in Vikarabad town, the Congress enjoys the advantage as it is in power in the state, while G Ranjith has proven his winnability. Adding that people have already voted for “change” in the Assembly polls, Mohan holds the wealth of Konda Vishweshwar against him. “Unlike KVR, who is rich and influential, Ranjith is a good candidate who has worked for all sections of the people.”