KARIMNAGAR: Karimnagar parliament constituency has, since its inception, been a stronghold of the Congress. Of the 16 elections held since the formation of the Parliamentary segment of Karimnagar in 1952, candidates of the grand old party have won in 10 of them. However, with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi sweeping all seven Assembly segments in the recent polls, the party’s nominee and incumbent MP B Vinod Kumar is confident of winning the seat with an even bigger majority.
Candidates of the upper caste Velama community has won the seat in 12 out of 16 Lok Sabha elections. Juvvadi Chokka Rao, M Satyanarayana Rao were among noted and reputed politicians who have held the seat. The upcoming polls is touted to be a triangular fight between the TRS, Congress and BJP. The 2018 state Assembly polls saw the pink brigade win all the seven Assembly segments -- Karimnagar, Manakondur, Choppadandi, Vemulawada, Sircilla, Husnabad, and Huzurabad.
The popular winners in 2018 assembly polls here are TRS working president KT Rama Rao from Sircilla and health minister Etela Rajender from Huzurabad. BJP’s Bandi Sanjay Kumar who had contested the assembly polls from Karimnagar segment on a BJP ticket had lost to the TRS nominee Gangula Kamalakar. BJP candidate Bandi Sanjay Kumar is also confident that since the saffron party has held the seat twice in the past they will win once again. The current Governor of Maharashtra state, C Vidyasagar Rao, had earlier held the seat for BJP twice.
Congress candidate Ponnam Prabhakar has been striving to bring back the past glory for Congress in Karimnagar for long now. Prabhakar had defeated Vinod Kumar in 2009 but once again lost to him in 2014. Vinod Kumar’s TRS can claim success of materialising dream of Peddapalli to Jagtial train route. People are however waiting for Kothapalli - Manoharabad rail line.
Slipping out of Congress hand
For the Congress party, it has been a down slide since the 1990s. While the Telugu Desam Party managed to win in the year 1996, Bharatiya Janata Party has won the seat twice, and Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao has won the seat thrice in the 14th Lok Sabha elections. However, the Congress leader Ponnam Prabhakar emerged as a surprise winner in 2009 while in 2014 TRS returned to power through incumbent Member of Parliament from Karimnagar B Vinod Kumar
Candidates in fray
TRS: B Vinod Kumar
BJP: Bandi Sanjay Kumar
Cong: Ponnam Prabhakar
TRS banking on rly development
Vinod Kumar’s TRS can claim success of materialising long cherished dream of Peddapalli to Jagtial via Karimnagar train route. People are however waiting for the Kothapalli - Manoharabad rail line to get functional.