KARIMNAGAR: “Be it the Assembly polls or the Lok Sabha elections, my vote is for Narendra Modi,” says Srinivas, a daily-wage labourer as he sits in a saw mill in the heart of Karimnagar.
His words capture the mood of many voters in this crucial Lok Sabha constituency, where people are reportedly leaning towards the BJP as they are impressed by the policies of Modi government.
“I had voted for the BJP candidate in the Assembly elections because I like Modi and the kind of work he is doing for the country. In this election too, my vote is for Modi,” adds Srinivas.
Most survey reports, according to the BJP sources, are predicting the victory of saffron party candidate Bandi Sanjay Kumar based on opinions of voters like Srinivas.
Though some reports suggest that incumbent MP Sanjay will have an edge over his rivals, the others are predicting a three-way contest with B Vinod Kumar of the BRS and Velichala Rajender Rao of the Congress. This is despite the fact that the grand old party announced Rajender Rao’s candidature at the eleventh hour, sparking speculation that its leadership is not that serious about securing this seat.
Adding to that negative vibe, according to party’s rivals, is its inability to impress all sections of the people since it formed the government in the state.
“In the last few years, we had enough water for irrigation. But the situation has changed this year because of adverse weather conditions,” says Ramulu, a farmer in Vemulawada, one of the seven Assembly constituencies that come under Karimnagar LS segment.
“Our crops have withered. We expected a lot from the Congress government. We thought that it will come to our rescue. But so far it has done nothing,” he adds, indirectly indicating that he is not in favour of supporting the Congress candidate.
But not all voters are against the Congress.
“My vote is for the Congress,” says P Kumar, a native of Rekonda village who works as a welder.
“During the BRS government, we suffered a lot due to Dharani portal. The Congress government promised to cancel the Dharani system. It also promised to implement several welfare schemes. So, we are going to support the Congress,” he adds.
Mohan, a government teacher, has a completely contradictory opinion on the Congress.
“We suffered a lot when the BRS introduced the GO 317. I was transferred to one place and my wife to another far-flung area. We hoped that Congress government will be rectify this problem. But it has so far not taken any decision on this GO,” he says.
“Bandi Sanjay fought on behalf us. He was also sent to jail when he fought for us. This time, we will definitely vote for him,” he adds.
28 candidates in fray
Meanwhile, the candidates of all three big parties have been deploying different methods in an attempt to win over the voters in the constituency where as many as 28 contestants are in fray. Bandi Sanjay, quite understandably, is trying to use Modi’s image and the Hindutva card even while highlighting his own contribution to the constituency as an MP by speaking about the central funds he brought in the last five years.
Vinod Kumar, on the other hand, is referring to the funds he was able to bring to the segment when he served as an MP between 2014 and 2019. He is also targeting the Congress government in the state for its “failure” to implement its six guarantees.
Rajender Rao is trying to draw the people’s attention to the “successful implementation” of six guarantees of the Congress as well as the contribution of father Jagapathi Rao, who represented Karimnagar in the Assembly. The BRS and Congress candidates are also trying to attract Muslim voters to their side.
For the record, the Congress had a stronghold in Karimnagar since 1952, winning the seat on nine occasions. The BRS secured the seat four times, the BJP thrice, and TDP and Telangana Praja Samiti one time each.