KHAMMAM: Ever since the Telangana Rashtra Samithi supremo and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao dissolved the Assembly and announced early elections, his party leaders and candidates have been facing unprecedented opposition during their campaign tours in several constituencies.
That trend seems to be prevalent in Palair too where incumbent MLA Tummala Nageswara Rao, despite the development works and welfare schemes carried out by his government, is faced with opposition on account of what the local describe as ‘his indifferent attitude towards people and their problems’.
The primary reason, again to quote the locals, is the arrogance of Tummala — who is now been looked at as an outsider pitted against the ‘native’ People Front’s Congress candidate Kandala Upender Reddy.
Tummala hails from Gandugula Palli village of Dammapeta Mandal in Khammam district and was elected thrice to united Andhra Pradesh Assembly from Sathupalli constituency in 1985, 1994 and 1999 on TDP ticket.
Tummala also won from Khammam in 2009 elections, but lost in the same constituency in the first elections of separate Telangana State in 2014. Following that he switched loyalties in September of that year and joined TRS.
In 2016, he was elected to the Assembly after winning the by-poll for Palair seat, which fell vacant following the death of Ramireddy Venkata Reddy due to ill health.
Tummala is credited for many successful development works take up by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government, including providing water to 70,000 acres in the constituency, laying of roads, revival of old canals and other works. By why are the local voters not happy with this candidate who has done so much for their constituency?
“I have never seen this much anger against an MLA at the ground level,’’ said N Vengala Rao, a farmer of Kusumanchi mandal.
“Rao’s behaviour in dealing with people can be described as arrogant and his attitude to their problems is insensitive. And that is sure to damage his prospects in the coming elections,” he said.
“Even Kamma community people have decided not to support him this time as they allege that there is verbal abuse when people go to him seeking help,” Vengala Rao added.
Another key factor that is likely to go against the pink party is the delay in waving crop loans, the failure in construction of two bed room houses and the failure to provide minimum support price (MSP) to the farmers.
“I hoped that Telangana Rashtra Samithi government would clear my one lakh loan at one go, but they cleared it in four years. As a result I had to pay four times more money and adjust with lenders to pay the interest,’’ Banothu Manga, woman farmer of Pynampalli village in Tirumalayapalem mandal, said, while adding ‘this time I am going to support the Congress who assured that farm loans will be waived at one go’.
While Tummala, according to locals, may sink in the rough waters he is sailing on due to his own mistakes, his strongest candidate in the constituency Upender Reddy may benefit from this situation and the nativity factor.
But Bachhalakura Ramulu, a local CPI party leader whose is party is part of the People’s Front, believes otherwise: “The situation is in our favour but we have to see how it would turn out in last four days (before the elections.”