HYDERABAD: The campaign trucks blaring party songs and the flutter of flags in Erragadda’s narrow lanes might give the impression of festive energy. But for the 59,580 voters and the people living here, the sound of political promises blends uneasily with the stench rising from an open drain that cuts through Hymavathinagar in Erragadda, barely a hundred yards from the National Highway.
An overflowing drain, swollen with sewage and garbage, has become a symbol of neglect — one that defines the mood ahead of the Jubilee Hills Assembly bypoll on November 11. For residents, it’s not just about who wins, but whether anyone will finally fix what they have been enduring for years: overflowing drains, broken roads and contaminated water.
“It’s a common sight,” says Jahangir, a 60-year-old resident who has lived here long enough to see elections come and go without any change in their lives. “Five days a week, the drain overflows. I have filed 15 complaints with the water board. They come, wade through the filth, take photos and vanish.”
When a senior leader campaigned in Erragadda on Friday, residents say he avoided entering the flooded lane altogether. “If our leaders don’t dare to walk through these lanes, how do they expect us to live here?” Jahangir asks, pointing at the ankle-deep water that snakes between homes.
During rains, the lanes of Erragadda turn into shallow canals. “When it pours, the water reaches hip-level. Children are kept indoors because they might get swept away,” Jahangir says, adding, “the fear of disease lingers constantly — dengue and viral fevers are common visitors here, just like the politicians during election season.”
Across the colony, residents share the same sentiment: their votes are being sought not with development, but with slogans. “These leaders come here to ask for votes, not to see what we live through,” Jahangir says. “We don’t need speeches, we need drains and roads.”
Water woes
Erragadda’s civic woes don’t end with sanitation. Water scarcity has worsened in recent months, forcing residents to rely on private tankers and filtered water. “We get water for just two hours a day, and even that is often contaminated,” says Kalyani, who has lived here since 1982. On electricity supply, she says “The bills are higher, but the supply is worse.”
Her frustration echoes through the community — clean drinking water has become a privilege, not a guarantee. The roads tell their own story — uneven, waterlogged, and riddled with potholes. “Every lane has at least three potholes. During rains, it’s a nightmare. We can’t tell where the road ends and the drain begins,” says Anand, a commuter who travels through Erragadda daily.
In stark contrast to the residents’ struggles, Erragadda’s campaign mood is loud and competitive.
The Congress, BRS and BJP campaign vehicles jostle for space in the same lanes, their party songs clashing in a chorus of promises. Senior Congress leaders like Uttam Kumar Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar are campaigning vigorously for party candidate Naveen Yadav. The BRS leaders too have intensified their campaign for party candidate Maganti Sunitha, wife of the late Maganti Gopinath whose untimely demise necessitated the bypoll.
Meanwhile, BJP candidate Deepak Reddy is positioning himself as the face of change. During his campaign in Erragadda, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy struck a confident tone, asserting that the BJP is poised to win the bypoll.
In an exclusive chat with TNIE, he says: “The BJP will definitely win this seat. Telangana is today facing a financial crisis — the state government doesn’t even have the money to repair streetlights, fill potholes or lay proper roads. If the BJP comes to power, there will be a double-engine sarkar that can put development back on track.”
Drawing comparisons to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, he further added: “The double-engine model has transformed Andhra’s growth trajectory and Telangana would follow suit under BJP’s leadership.”
In the lanes where the smell of sewage lingers longer than election songs, the message from residents is loud and clear: “This bypoll is not about grand promises or party prestige. For Erragadda, it’s about basic civic dignity — and the hope that someone, finally, will deliver it.”
