WARANGAL: With the BRS, Congress and BJP pulling out all stops in campaigning, Warangal East is all set to witness a keen triangular contest in the upcoming Assembly elections. Incumbent BRS MLA Nannapuneni Narender is likely to face stiff competition from his two main rivals Konda Surekha of the Congress and Errabelli Pradeep Rao of the BJP. Interestingly, a trans person Chitrapu Pushpita Laya is contesting for the first time from the segment on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket.
The BRS government has made tall claims about turning Warangal into a smart city, but even basic facilities are a luxury here. When it rains, it is hell on earth as water logging takes place on account of poor drainage. The existing drainage system is in a shambles.
Though the State government has proposed a new underground drainage system for Warangal, it remains a pipe dream. Huge volumes of sewage water pass through open drains, close to residential areas. Residents always live in dread of open nalas overflowing. Whenever rain lashes the city, sewage water invades several colonies.
‘Development done with central funds’
BJP candidate Errabelli Pradeep Rao says whatever little development has taken place, like the laying of roads in the constituency, was done with funds provided by the Union government. MLA Nannapuneni Narender failed to hand over double-bedroom houses to the beneficiaries and has not taken preventive measures in flood-hit areas, Pradeep Rao adds.
The historic Warangal city becomes a huge cesspool whenever there is rain, he says, adding that he would develop Warangal into a tourism hub and take measures to prevent flooding in low-lying areas if voted to power. BSP candidate Chitrapu Pushpita Laya says that the failures of the ruling party will turn into blessings for her. She is carrying a door-to-door campaign and explaining the failures of the ruling party MLA in the constituency.
Several colonies were inundated during recent rains because the MLA had not taken any measures to prevent flooding, she alleges. “People are saying that they would give an opportunity to the BSP this time as they had seen how the Congress and the BRS had performed in the past,” Laya claims. Warangal East Assembly constituency comprises Mattewada, Deshaipet, Laxmipuram, Ramannapet, Girmajipet, Fort Warangal, Urus, and Rangashaipet.