HYDERABAD/SURYAPET: With the election authorities announcing the final list of candidates for the Huzurnagar byelection, the leaders of mainstream parties are getting ready to take a plunge into campaigning as winning the seat has become prestigious for both the Congress and the TRS while it is an existential issue for the BJP and the TDP.
The Congress is keen on retaining the seat despite the fact that its candidate is now N Padmavathi, wife of TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who held the seat till he was elected to the Parliament from Nalgonda.
The TRS has fielded an NRI, S Saidi Reddy, who lost to Uttam Kumar in 2018 elections while TDP’s nominee Chava Kiranmayi is testing her luck. The BJP which has been in an overdrive to steal a march psychologically over the TRS has deployed a BC candidate in K Rama Rao.
Uttam Kumar Reddy had already kick-started the election campaign for his wife. He, along with senior leader K Jana Reddy, also participated in poll campaigns in various places. After Dasara, Congress MP Revanth Reddy and other top leaders are likely to participate in the election campaign.
KTR roadshow
Meanwhile, the pink party’s constituency in-charge Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, ministers G Jagadish Reddy, Sathyavathi Rathod, M Kavitha, MLC Karne Prabhakar and other leaders have been campaigning for the TRS candidate. TRS working president KT Rama Rao will take part in a roadshow at Mattampally mandal headquarters on Friday. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is also likely to address a public meeting, most probably after Dasara festival.The State leaders of the TDP, meanwhile, are planning to invite former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to campaign for Kiranmayi. At present only constituency leaders are taking part in the election campaign.
As far as BJP is concerned, no senior leader has visited the constituency though there is no dearth for them. Only BJP State unit chief K Laxman visited the constituency only once after the announcement of poll notification, that too to accompany the party candidate for filing the nomination papers. After that not a single senior leader visited the constituency.
The party had constituted about 25 committees and appointed mandal in-charges to oversee their preparations for the bypoll, but so far the committees have not started functioning. Even Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy, who is heading the poll campaign committee, is busy attending programmes in the capital city of Hyderabad and in other States.
Three independents withdraw papers
Suryapeta: Three independent candidates withdrew their nominations from the Huzurnagar Assembly bypoll on Thursday. That leaves a total of 28 candidates contesting for the seat. Polling will be held on October 21 and the counting is scheduled for October 24
BJP to complain to ECI against TRS and Cong
Accusing the ruling TRS and the Congress of luring Huzurnagar voters with money, the BJP stated that it would lodge a complaint against the two parties with the Election Commission of India (ECI). Senior leaders Chinta Sambamurthy and P Sudhakar Reddy said that party’s State unit chief K Laxman would soon lodge a complaint with the ECI against the two parties for violating the model code of conduct