NALGONDA: If it fructifies, the proposed electoral alliance with the TRS in the next elections is likely to spur the resurgence of the Left parties in the erstwhile Nalgonda district, which was once their bastion. If the alliance forged between the two Left parties and the pink party for the Munugode byelection, which led to the victory for the TRS candidate, continues, the CPI and CPM will contest one Assembly seat each in the district.
In case of such an alliance, which appears very likely, there is a possibility of two sitting TRS MLAs sacrificing their seats as part of seat adjustments in the next Assembly elections. After the bypoll victory, Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy and other ministers had gone to the CPM office and thanked its leaders. Recently, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao dropped enough hints at the continuation of his alliance with the Left parties in the next elections as well.
Julakanti Ranga Reddy is most likely to contest from the Miryalaguda constituency on a CPM ticket in the event of the TRS allotting it to the Left party as part of the alliance. He won the seat in 1994, 2004, and 2009. He, however, suffered a defeat in 2014 and 2018 elections, securing only 12,000 votes in 2018.
What bolsters his candidature for the seat is the fact that Miryalaguda sitting TRS MLA Bhasker Rao, while launching a book written by Ranga Reddy, even offered to support the senior leader if the ruling party and CPM strike a deal.
A district CPM leader told TNIE that the State leadership is likely to discuss the proposal with the TRS. It may take some time for clarity to emerge on this as the elections are still a year away, he added. Another CPM leader, on condition of anonymity, observed wryly: “KCR cannot be trusted. Who knows what will happen after the election notification? It entirely depends on the mood of KCR at that time. He does not always stand by his words.”
Another constituency that is likely to go to another Left party, CPI, is Devarakonda. D Ravindra Naik was elected on CPI ticket from the segment in 2004 and 2014. He joined TRS in 2016 and retained the seat in the 2018 election. A CPI district leader said that they are planning to seek either Devarakonda or Munugode seat, if the Left parties and TRS enter into an alliance.
A TRS senior leader told TNIE that there is a possibility of Munugode Assembly seat being allotted to CPI. There were two many aspirants in TRS for Munugode in the recent bypoll, giving a headache to the leadership.To avoid this, the party supremo may allot it to CPI in the next election, the source said.