HYDERABAD: It is do or die for the ruling TRS in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Legislative Council Graduates’ constituency. As sitting MLC and senior TRS leader Palla Rajeshwar Reddy seeks re-election to the segment, several candidates, including Telangana Jana Samithi founder Prof M Kodandaram, BJP’s G Premender Reddy and Independents, like B Jaya Saradhi Reddy, are trying to wrest the seat from the TRS. The pink party, which lost to the BJP in the Dubbaka Assembly bypoll, also tasted the wrath of the voters in the recent GHMC polls.
It is, therefore, a matter of prestige for the party to prove its might in the hinterland of Telangana. The Graduates’ seat was once dominated by Left parties. Several employees, teachers and unemployed youth have allegiance to the Left even today. Palla Rajeshwar Reddy is facing rough weather here, as he has not visited the segment frequently in the last six years, and also got permission for his university in the private sector.
The Opposition candidates are exposing these alleged failures of the ruling party candidate. Sensing that there was a strong anti-establishment wave in the segment, journalist-turned politician B Jaya Saradhi Reddy, the Left-sponsored candidate, launched his campaign two months before the election notification. He has already met over half of the voters in the segment.
However, with too many Opposition candidates, including Congress’ Ramulu Naik, the anti-TRS vote may get split. In the previous polls, the percentage of votes polled did not cross 40 per cent in the State. If the Opposition candidates are able to bring more number of voters to the polling booths, the result may turn in their favour. But the advantage of the ruling party candidate is that several Ministers are campaigning for him.