WARANGAL: With the Congress and BJP immersed in verbal combat over reservations, the excess from the debates and counter-accusations of the political leaders seems to have spilt over to the Warangal Lok Sabha constituency. However, it’s not just that, similar issues such as the sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and caste census have also dominated discussions in the local circles ahead of the polls on May 13.
While a total of 48 candidates are in the fray for the seat reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), the main contenders are Kadiyam Kavya of the Congress, Aroori Ramesh of the BJP and Dr M Sudheer Kumar of the BRS. Political analysts said the main fight will be between the ruling parties at state and Centre but the the BRS, which earlier had the Congress and BJP candidates in its ranks, is languishing in third place. It must be noted that all the seven Assembly constituencies under the Lok Sabha segment are held by the grand old party.
Meanwhile, the voters have chosen who to support: the ones ‘snatching’ reservations or those who are ‘yet to implement the six guarantees’. Pointing to the spate of defections since the new government took charge in the state in December, analysts said that any candidate from the major parties could benefit from the chaos of shifting loyalties and uncertainty over the poll outcome.
K Mahender, a retired schoolteacher from Peddampally village, predicted that the Congress would form the government at the Centre along with INDIA bloc parties. “Afterwards, former AICC president Rahul Gandhi will conduct a nationwide caste census. It will play a crucial role in empowering marginalised groups and ensuring social justice,” he added.
He claimed that the BJP was trying to “snatch away reservations”. “If the saffron party comes to power again, it will privatise public sector units to deprive weaker sections of reservations and job opportunities,” Mahender said, adding that the BRS and BJP had resorted to spreading false propaganda against the ruling Congress.
The issue of categorisation
Meanwhile, with the issue of caste-based reservations in the forefront, Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) president Manda Krishna Madiga had urged people to vote against Kavya while alleging that her father, Kadiyam Srihari, Station Ghanpur MLA, was a conspirator against the Madiga sub-caste.
After the BJP announced that it would ensure the sub-categorisation of SCs, Manda Krishna extended support to the BJP and has participated in several campaigns for saffron party candidates across the state. He has appealed to the Madiga community to vote for the saffron party and ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes charge as the head of the Union government once again.
A Ramesh, a voter from Wardhannapet, said the Congress is spreading lies against the BJP on the issue of quotas for SCs, Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). He pointed out that the BJP has already assured the sub-categorisation of SCs to ensure equitable distribution of welfare initiatives. He also lamented that the Congress, which promised the implementation of its six guarantees within 100 days of power, is yet to execute them.
“Congress and BRS leaders are deliberately spreading propaganda about the BJP’s stance on reservations. When the prime minister announced the decision to carry out sub-categorisation of SCs, all Madiga community members decided to support the BJP,” said Aroori Ramesh, who is also former Wardhannapet MLA.
‘Congress ahead by a knife’s edge’
Analysts have also said that the nominees from the Congress and BJP will have to answer people on the execution of different development and welfare initiatives. They also pointed out that since the Congress won all the Assembly seats under the Lok Sabha segment, Kavya is the frontrunner. However, Ramesh will hope to get votes from BRS supporters and secure a win for the BJP, they added.
The fight for the seat is between the ruling Congress and BJP, said G Sagar from Hanamkonda.
Meanwhile, the decision of Ramesh, former Wardhannapet MLA, to quit the BRS a month ago to join the saffron party became a hot topic of discussion in the segment. When he arrived at the Warangal BRS office to submit his resignation, the leadership tried to convince him to continue with the pink party and even took him to Hyderabad to meet party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao to force him to revert his decision.
Sources said he was upset by the BRS’ decision not to nominate him, apart from the dwindling support for the pink party after the Assembly polls. After being given the ticket by the BJP, Ramesh has taken part in campaign events across all the Assembly segments that form the Warangal Lok Sabha constituency.
During his campaign, the BJP leader attacked his Congress counterpart alleging that Kavya is not from the Madiga caste, especially after her marriage to a Muslim man. Additionally, Ramesh has also claimed that she is from Andhra Pradesh and has openly questioned how a person from another state can ensure the development of a constituency in Telangana.
Speaking to TNIE, Ramesh says the charm of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would pave the way for his win. He also said his connection with the voters and the amount of development he has brought to the district has given him a good name.
Meanwhile, Sudheer, who is the current Hanamkonda Zilla Parishad chairman, is said to be the least popular candidate. After Kavya’s resignation, the BRS nominated him given his involvement in the Telangana movement. It is reported that the party cadre was unhappy with KCR choosing him for the seat.
Kadiyam Kavya, daughter of Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari who won a BRS ticket, was nominated by the pink party at first. However, she rejected the B-form citing the phone-tapping and corruption allegations and joined the Congress along with her father. While the Congress is seen as the frontrunner, Srihari’s political rivalries and alleged non-cooperation with the upper-caste communities for the last four decades could dent Kavya’s chances, said analysts.
To add to this, many Congress MLAs are reluctant to support Kavya’s candidature saying that Srihari betrayed Telangana and was a “conspirator of the Madiga caste”. However, she, like other Congress candidates, has maintained that the state government will implement all the six guarantees after the Lok Sabha polls. “After winning the seat. I will discuss with the people and youth innovative ideas to develop the Warangal Lok Sabha segment. It’s crucial for voters to elect an educated MP for better services and to develop the constituency,” Kavya told TNIE.
K Sridhar, a voter from Warangal West Assembly Constituency, said there will be a close fight between the Congress and BJP, despite Kavya being new to electoral politics. He added that Sudheer is not well-known among the people and is likely to come third.
There is also a chance that the BRS vote bank will turn to the BJP to teach lessons to defeat Srihari’s daughter, said Sridhar.