HYDERABAD: The polished IT towers of Cyberabad and the arid villages of Vikarabad coexist in the Chevella Lok Sabha constituency. With three Assembly segments almost fully rural (Pargi, Vikarabad and Tandur) and three others mostly urban (Serilingampally, Rajendranagar, Maheshwaram), the constituency stands out among the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana.
As one drives through the vast constituency from Madhapur in Serilingampally to the villages of Vikarabad, concrete structures become scant and are taken over by agricultural fields and gulmohar trees in full bloom. Houses become modest and cafes are replaced by tiffin shops.
Despite the BRS holding four of these Assembly constituencies and the Congress three, the battle for Chevella seems to be between the BJP and the grand old party, with voters mostly disregarding the BRS.
The incumbent Gaddam Ranjith Reddy, elected in 2019 as a BRS candidate, is now seeking a second term on a Congress ticket. The BJP has fielded the erudite Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who was elected as the Chevella MP in 2014 on a BRS ticket. He also had a brief stint in the Congress, during which he lost to Ranjith Reddy in 2019 by a margin of 14,317 votes. Kasani Gyaneshwar, who was earlier head of the Telangana TDP, is representing the BRS this time.
Vishweshwar Reddy, son-in-law of Apollo Hospitals founder Prathap C Reddy, has declared assets worth Rs 4,500 crore, making him the richest candidate in Telangana. Ranjith Reddy has assets worth over `435 crore.
The performance of the BJP and its ally Jana Sena Party (JSP) in the 2023 Assembly polls was abysmal in the rural Chevella. In Tandur, for instance, the JSP got only 4,087 votes. Speaking to TNIE as part of Hyderabad Dialogues recently, Vishweshwar Reddy said that the rural belt is at the centre of his campaign. “Our ally Jana Sena got 4,000 votes. My target is 60,000 to one lakh. 65% of my time and efforts go into rural areas. The BJP is anyway strong in the city,” he said.
BJP worried of urban voters extending weekend trip
According to Vishweshwar Reddy, while people in villages are familiar with Narendra Modi and the BJP, awareness about the lotus symbol is low in the rural belt. “Part of the duties of our karyakartas is to say the BJP, Narendra Modi and the lotus symbol are the same,” he told TNIE.
With polling due on a Monday, parties — especially the BJP — also fear the possibility of urban voters extending their weekend getaway, resulting to low voter turnout in these areas.While the leaders raise the reservation pitch in their public meetings, voters, especially those in rural areas, mostly focus on bread-and-butter issues such as water and electricity.A voter from Madhapur in the Serilingampally segment, Surya Rao, thinks that victory in the state Assembly elections will give the Congress an edge in the Lok Sabha elections as well. “The BRS government emptied the public coffers. Let’s see how the Congress fares,” he adds.
Over an hour away, in Pudur village of Vikarabad district, the scorching summer heat seems to have driven locals indoors. The roads and bylanes are mostly silent, except for the occasional campaign vehicle. However, conversations in the rural village betray a deep cynicism towards all political parties.
Raju, a cobbler, says that while the Mahalakshmi free bus travel for women scheme was implemented as promised, other guarantees such as gas cylinders for Rs 500 are yet to be delivered. Except for LPG under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Raju says that he has not received any welfare schemes of the Narendra Modi-led Central government such as PM Vishwakarma, which covers cobblers as well.
Anthaiyya, his walking stick leaning against his shoulder, admits that he is in a dilemma about who to cast his vote for. “The Congress and BJP are neck-to-neck,” he says.
The women of the village remained invisible while a young boy distributed saffron scarfs. “The villagers do not recognise what the Centre has given and what the state government has given. They think what Narendra Modi has given was given by Revanth Reddy or KCR. There is more awareness among people in the city,” a BJP worker said.
Along with the summer, water woes have also begun in the state, with many water bodies near thandas (hamlets) drying up. Residents of Malkaipet thanda in Parigi mandal say that they have not received water in a month.