HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s scheduled visit to Sircilla on September 30 — his first as CM — has brought renewed attention to the party’s efforts to expand its presence in BRS strongholds. With an event also planned in Siddipet in October, analysts see it as a calculated strategy to keep former ministers KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao occupied in their respective constituencies, limiting their ability to campaign across Telangana.
The choice of constituencies has given the programmes an obvious political context. Rama Rao has been representing Sircilla since 2009, while Harish has been representing Siddipet since 2004. Both have maintained a strong political base in their respective constituencies and remain among the BRS’ prominent leaders after party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Within Congress circles, the focus on Sircilla and Siddipet is being discussed as part of an effort to strengthen the party’s organisational presence in the two constituencies. The party is expected to bring more local leaders into the political field, intensify programmes and work towards building a stronger leadership structure and potential candidates well ahead of the next Assembly elections.
Another aspect being discussed is whether sustained political activity in the two constituencies could keep Rama Rao and Harish focused on defending their respective bases and limit their ability to devote time to political mobilisation elsewhere in the state. These remain political interpretations of the Congress strategy rather than stated objectives of the party.
The move also comes against the backdrop of the earlier political contest between Revanth Reddy and the two BRS leaders. In the 2018 Assembly elections, Rama Rao and Harish campaigned extensively in Kodangal, then represented by Revanth, who lost the seat to BRS candidate Patnam Narender Reddy. Revanth subsequently won the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency in 2019, became Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president and returned to Kodangal to win the Assembly seat in 2023, before becoming chief minister.
The Congress’ electoral record in the two constituencies provides another dimension to its current campaign. Sircilla’s last Congress victory came in 1999, while the party’s last victory in Siddipet came in 1983.
Revanth’s September 30 visit is therefore significant beyond being his first visit to Sircilla as chief minister. He is scheduled to participate in a major roadshow of around 4 km and address a public meeting, with the Congress preparing for large-scale mobilisation.
Present focus on Sircilla, Siddipet next in line
The grand old party has described the programme as part of its broader political campaign in the constituency.
Revanth himself has given the proposed visits a direct political framing. At a public meeting in Nakrekal earlier this month, he said he would visit Sircilla by the end of September and Siddipet in October, and challenged the BRS leadership to face the Congress in the elections.
The Congress’ focus on the two constituencies also comes at a time of heightened friction between the ruling party and the BRS. The state government recently constituted a committee to inquire into land-related issues involving KCR, Rama Rao, Harish and other BRS leaders, while the BRS leaders have continued to attack the Congress government on several issues.
For now, the attention is firmly on Sircilla, with Siddipet next in line. The scale of the Congress programmes and the response from the BRS leadership are likely to shape the political discourse around the two constituencies in the coming months.
Release white paper on Sircilla land grab: KTR to CM
Hyderabad: Hitting back at Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s allegation that 8,000 acres of land were grabbed in the Sircilla segment, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Sunday invited the former to visit the Assembly constituency and release a white paper on the lands in question