HYDERABAD: Though the last date for filing of nominations for the Huzurnagar Assembly byelection is September 30, a preliminary pre-poll survey indicates that the ruling TRS is ahead of its main rival Congress. As per the survey, the TRS party will get 54.64 per cent votes, while the Congress will get 41 per cent votes. The sample size for the survey was 1,700.
In an informal chat with reporters at Telangana Bhavan here on Wednesday, TRS working president KT Rama Rao disclosed the party’s survey report. “We are 14 per cent ahead of the Congress,” he said.
As per the survey, the BJP is far behind in the poll battle, with 2.55 per cent votes. Others will get 0.71 per cent votes. The survey is an indication of the mood of the voters, Rama Rao said. The ruling party’s slogan in the bypolls is that if Congress wins the polls, it will benefit PCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy. If TRS wins, it will benefit the people of the segment.
“Most of the voters in Huzurnagar segment are dependent on agriculture. We will touch each and every beneficiary of the Rythu Bandhu scheme,” Rama Rao explained. Because of the truck symbol, TRS candidate lost in 2018 Assembly polls. TRS renominated its old candidate S Saidi Reddy this time. There is a sympathy wave towards Saidi Reddy, he said.
The TRS working president also recalled that the TRS got a majority of over 12,000 votes in Zilla Parishad elections. Out of seven ZPTCs in Huzurnagar Assembly segment, the TRS won five. However, one Congress ZPTC, Motilal, joined the TRS in the presence of KT Rama Rao at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday.
KCR’s election tour
Rama Rao held the first poll review meeting with important leaders on Wednesday and directed the party leaders to conduct booth-level and mandal-level meetings as part of the election campaign. The TRS working president said that the schedule of the election tour of CM K Chandrasekhar Rao will be decided in a day or two.
“There are no negative points for TRS in Huzurnagar. Everything is in favour of us. All the minor irrigation tanks are filled with water and farmers are happy with their agriculture operations,” Rama Rao said. All the cement factories in the segment too are functioning due to quality power supply, he said. In the 2018 polls, Uttam KumarReddy won because he campaigned saying he would become CM or deputy CM in case Congress came to power. But such a situation is not there now, KTR said. He said that the TRS has been further strengthened in the segment after the Assembly polls due to the welfare and developmental works. The TRS won all the byelections, including the Palair and Narayankhed polls. Being the ruling party, TRS is hoping to fly the pink flag in Huzurnagar for the first time after the bypolls.
Party’s state panel
Asked about the constitution of the State party committee, Rama Rao said that they had submitted the lists to the party president, who would take a call on it soon. He said that the party office buildings in some districts would be inaugurated on the day of Dasara. There was a delay in the construction due to rains, he said.