Now, after getting several bouquets and brick brats, the ruling TRS party concentrating on Manugodu by-elections in Telangana. The rivals BJP and Congress parties are already gaining momentum in the constituency. While TRS is a step behind with internal conflicts and unproven strategically moves.
The imminent bypolls to the Munugode Assembly seat in Telangana State,necessitated by the decision of sitting Congress MLA (younger brother of Lok Sabha member Komatireddy Venkatareddy) Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy to part ways with the Congress party over his long-standing differences with Telangana PCC president and MP A. Revanth Reddy, may help determine the Telangana Rashtra Samiti’s main rival for the 2023 Assembly polls. Popular as Komatireddy brothers, they had pitched hard for assuming PCC leadership ahead of the General Election and both still believe that they are better placed to unseat the TRS and stop K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s alleged family rule in the state. After Revanth took over as PCC chief, at one point of time, the brothers had dropped hints triggering speculations that they could even join TRS, with their henchmen boasting that Venkat would become a Minister in the KCR cabinet.At last, the brothers, also businessmen, seem to have clinched a deal with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Rajagopal Reddy has resigned as MLA and within no time TSLA Speaker Pocharam (Parigi) Srinivas Reddy accepted the papers.
Now announcement of bypolls to the Mungode Assembly constituency is only matter of formality in the combined Nalgonda district. Komatireddy Venkata Reddy got elected to the Legislative Assembly of the combined State of Andhra Pradesh in 1999 with the support extended by Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy. He served as a member of the Congress Legislature Party(CLP) under the leadership of Dr.YSR and later became a Minister in Kiran Kumar Reddy’s team. The brothers seem to have decided jointly to veer towards the BJP.
The Congress party has linked Rajagopal Reddy’s exit to his securing civil contract works in the state of Chhattisgarh. Noticeably, the brothers have not denied the charge, but mentioned they were after all businessmen.In any case, the Munugodu bypolls would be a litmus test for the principal political players in the state.There could be a triangular contest involving the TRS, BJP and the Congress, with party winning the bypolls better placed for the larger poll battle in 2023. The political atmosphere could heat up if it becomes a multi-cornered contest involving TDP and Left parties as well.
The Congress party can no longer be sure of retaining the seat, considering that its MLA has shifted his loyalties to BJP. The situation is akin to the one people witnessed in the Huzurabad bypolls some time back. TRS legislator Eatala Rajendar quit the party after raising his voice against his leader and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and contested on BJP ticket. The BJP’s winning spree in the bypolls in TS will possibly continue. After getting only one seat (Gosha Mahal) in the 2018 elections, the BJP started to expand its political base. The party has won two Assembly bypolls —
Dubbak and Huzurabad — in TS after that. The Dubbak Assembly seat was captured by BJP in the bypolls necessitated by the demise of TRS legislator Solipeta Ramalinga Reddy. In this case, voters sympathised more with BJP candidate Raghunandan Rao (who had lost the election to Ramalinga Reddy of TRS) than with the wife of Ramalinga Reddy. So, in both cases the individuals counted more than the party.
In the bypolls to the Munugode seat tomorrow, the personal image of BJP candidate (possibly Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy) would work and influence voters rather than party’s standing. As he is also a contractor, there may be no dearth of money to be pumped for luring voters. Venkata Reddy will have to join BJP to work for his younger brother.
The Congress party seems to have lost its sheen following the desertion by the two brothers. Earlier former minister and ex- Rajya Sabha member Palvai Govardhan Reddy represented Munugode several times. Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s political game with Govardhan Reddy had negatively impacted the latter’s political fortune twice. Despite being a sitting member, Govardhan had to lose the opportunity to contest in 1985 and 2004 due to the political distance he maintained with YSR.
Govardhan’s daughter Palvai Rajani had made a vain bid to get the Congress ticket to contest from Munugode, following the influence of Komatireddy brothers.The Munugodu bypolls may take place at the end of this year, probably along with the Assembly elections of Gujarat.
Earlier Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was thinking of going for early polls in TS again, as he had done in 2018 with the rapport he had with the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. Now KCR is having strained relations with Modi. Moreover, KCR is seriously thinking about taking a plunge into national politics and has vowed to unite ‘anti-Modi forces across the country’. Even if KCR decides to go for early polls, the Election Commission of India may not respond positively without the concurrence of Modi.All told, the outcome of the Munugode bypolls will determine the two main contestants at the state level poll battle in 2023. #KhabarLive #hyderabadlive #hydnews
