The Telangana Congress party is in a confusion state, if the results show low, the future of this party goes bleak, despite the leadership charisma and dedicated cadre and good candidate in Manugodu by-election.
The outcome of the byelection for the Munugode Assembly constituency will determine the future of the Congress party in Telangana State, given that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the two major parties engaged in a fierce election battle, have reduced the Congress to a distant third place.
If the BJP wins this seat, the Congress might see repercussions on a national scale as well. If one closely examines the electoral contest, the byelection is essentially a proxy conflict between the TRS-dominated Telagnana administration and the Union government, which is led by the BJP. The leadership of both parties views the byelection as a contest between K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the chief minister of Telangana, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both parties plan to use the Mugugode results as a practise run for the Telangana State Assembly elections in 2023.
For a third straight term, the TRS is vying for the presidency. Given its nearly ten years in office, TRS may be subject to the anti-incumbency effect. The TRS opposed a byelection in Munugode. However, after having disagreements with the state leadership of the Congress party, the district’s Congress representative, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, decided to resign from his position and run for reelection on the BJP’s platform. He and his brother, Congress MP Komatireddy Venkata Reddy (from Bhongir), both sought the position of TPCC president; however, A. Revanth Reddy was chosen by the party high command (Lok Sabha member from Malkajgiri). Although Venkata Reddy first pledged to act in the party’s best interests, he later altered his mind and did the opposite of his younger brother, who is in the electoral fray as BJP candidate.
There is talk that Rajagopal Reddy had switched sides as he had secured a contract worth Rs. 21,000 crore in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh as quid pro quo.
The BJP is bent upon capturing power in Telangana State in the next elections. So, it has been expanding its base by luring locally prominent political figures such as former finance minister Etala Rajendar.The BJP’s win in the Huzurabad bypolls is attributed to Rajendar’s image.The BJP won the Dubbak bypolls too. It is now projecting itself as the real opposition, eclipsing the Congress. Should the BJP win the Munugode bypoll, it will be the third consecutive win for the party in TS.
In Munugode also, the BJP’s winning chances come mainly from the capabilities of its candidate, who, people believe, will have to prove himself at least to protect his own business interests, following the heft given to him in Chhattisgarh.
No wonder, given the high stakes involved, the Munugode bypoll is considered to be the “costliest ever election in a single Assembly segment elsewhere in the country”. The flow of money is estimated at ranging between Rs.500 crore and Rs. 700 crore.
There is talk that Rajagopal Reddy had switched sides as he had secured a contract worth Rs. 21,000 crore in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh as quid pro quo.
The BJP is bent upon capturing power in Telangana State in the next elections. So, it has been expanding its base by luring locally prominent political figures such as former finance minister Etala Rajendar.The BJP’s win in the Huzurabad bypolls is attributed to Rajendar’s image.The BJP won the Dubbak bypolls too. It is now projecting itself as the real opposition, eclipsing the Congress. Should the BJP win the Munugode bypoll, it will be the third consecutive win for the party in TS.
In Munugode also, the BJP’s winning chances come mainly from the capabilities of its candidate, who, people believe, will have to prove himself at least to protect his own business interests, following the heft given to him in Chhattisgarh.
No wonder, given the high stakes involved, the Munugode bypoll is considered to be the “costliest ever election in a single Assembly segment elsewhere in the country”. The flow of money is estimated at ranging between Rs.500 crore and Rs. 700 crore.
Amidst all this, the Congress is facing an embarrassing situation. It is struggling to register even its presence in the constituency, which had been its stronghold until recently.The seat was previously identified with late Palvai Govardhan Reddy, former Rajya Sabha member. He had represented the seat several times besides serving as a minister in the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh. The Congress candidate here is Palvai Sravanti, daughter of Govardhan Reddy. Yet, the chances of her winning the seat are bleak.
Congress MP Komatireddy Venkata Reddy got into trouble after declaring that the Congress would not win in the Munugode bypoll. He had even asked his followers to ensure his brother’s victory. Venkata Reddy had tried his luck in the Nalgonda Assembly segment for the first time in the 1999 elections and continued his winning spree till 2018. After losing the 2018 election to TRS, he got elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhongir. Now he may be the guiding force for his brother.
With huge embarrassment looming over the Congress in the Munugode bypolls, the TPCC chief has called upon the party cadre to join campaign in the bypolls.Former AICC president and Vayanad MP Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has entered TS. The result of the Munugode bypolls will come during his presence in the state. Should the result come in favour if BJP, it will be a bitter pill for Rahul, though he can’t be held directly responsible for the outcome.
The TPCC president has urged the party cadre to participate in the bypoll campaign as a massive embarrassment for the Congress hangs in the balance in the Munugode bypolls. Rahul Gandhi, a former president of the AICC and a member of parliament from Vayanad, has entered TS. He will be in the state when the Munugode byelection results are announced. Even while he cannot be held directly accountable for the results, Rahul will suffer if the decision favours the BJP.
With the help of Left-leaning organisations, the TRS is optimistic about gaining the Munugode seat. TDP supporters will have a say in the decision even though the party is not contesting. #KhabarLive #hydnews #hydlive
