HYDERABAD: KCR’s magic has worked again. The TRS has wrested Congress’ Huzurnagar with effortless ease, completing the process of the decimation of the grand old party in erstwhile Nalgonda district. The ruling party also dealt a mortal blow on BJP which has been raring to capture power in the State in the next Assembly elections while TDP stood forlorn after being relegated to fifth position.
The result has proved that K Chandrasekhar Rao’s sway is still on and the modern pied piper of Telagana can mesmerise the voters even without addressing any election rally, though TSRTC buses were off the road, causing inconvenience to the people.
Though he did not address any election rally in Huzurnagar, he could help TRS candidate create a record of sorts by defeating his Congress rival by a margin of 43,233 votes. “The resounding victory will work like a tonic on us in in taking the state forward,” an elated KCR said at a news conference later in the day.
Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy, who is from Suryapet, and party general secretary Palla Rajeswar Reddy did their job well by staying put in the constituency and ensuring a landslide victory for TRS nominee S Saidi Reddy. Huzurnagar by election also proved wrong KCR’s critics that TRS’ fortunes were on a downward spiral because of his “dictatorial” handling of TSRTC strike. They called KCR a “corrupt dictator” intent on perpetuating “family rule” in the State.
Though, from the beginning prospects of the TRS winning the seat were bright because it was in power in the State, there were also doubts since Huzurnagar had remained TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy’s pocket-borough. Uttam had not tasted defeat since Huzurnagar was formed in 2009 during delimitation of constituencies. Even when KCR emerged as an influential leader in Telangana region, Huzurnagar bucked the trend and elected Uttam to the Assembly in 2009, 2014 and 2018.
Turbo-charged TRS
Now that the Congress has bitten the dust on its own soil, the TRS remains turbo-charged. Though winning one seat may not be much for the TRS statistically for it already has over 100 MLAs in 119-member strong Assembly, it has helped in knowing the direction in which way the wind is blowing. Now the TRS has moral heft to denounce the claims of the opposition that the TRS was on its way out after its blockbuster performance in 2018 Assembly elections. The grist for this argument came from Congress’ surprise gains in Lok Sabha elections where it won three seats in the State of which two were in erstwhile Nalgonda district alone.
The Congress, which won three seats in the last Assembly election in the district, now stands wiped out as it does not have even one MLA. Of the three MLAs, Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy from Munugodu has unofficially joined the BJP and the other legislator Chirumarthi Lingaiah from Nakrekal happens to be one among the 12 Congress MLAs who merged in the TRS. The remaining one Uttam Kumar Reddy, has resigned his Huzurnagar seat following his election to Lok Sabha from Nalgonda but his wife has now lost her husband’s seat to the TRS.
Toughening the stand
The victory also gave a stamp of legitimacy to the merger of two thirds of the Congress Legislature Party, comprising 12 MLAs, into the TRS as it can always put forth the argument that the bypoll result had shown that the people did not mind it or they would have elected Padmavathi.
The party could now say that even if the 12 MLAs resign and contest on TRS ticket, they are sure to win as the people had thrown the Congress out lock, stock and barrel.
The TRS victory has already made KCR toughen his stand against the striking TSRTC workers. “The end of the TSRTC has begun.
The unions are only hastening the process. It has reached a stage where no can save it,” he said. By announcing that he would issue permits to 7,000 private buses, he had made it clear that he would downsize the corporation to reduce its losses and allow private operators as he has the backing of the people now.