NIZAMABAD: As the polling date approaches, political parties and their candidates have stepped up their campaign in the Nizamabad constituency, raising the political heat. However, political pundits are unable to predict the outcome of the elections.
The candidates of the main parties, namely, the Congress, BRS and BJP, are depending on their internal survey reports to plan their campaign strategy. With internal survey reports changing every week, top leaders of these three parties are working hard to ensure the victory of their respective candidates.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy visited the constituency twice. The ruling Congress has two MLAs, BRS three and BJP two in the parliament constituency. Of the seven Assembly segments, five are in Nizamabad district and two in Jagtial. As many as 29 candidates are in the poll fray.
The contest is going to be a triangular one among the ruling Congress, BJP and BRS. Sitting BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind is mainly relying on the Modi wave and support of turmeric farmers.
Arvind who has been organising ‘chai pe charcha’ programmes in towns and villages to get closer to voters, promises that investors would be invited to the district if the BJP wins. Apart from holding regular press meets, he has roped in all saffron party wings to work for him. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttarkhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami addressed public meetings in the segment.
On the other hand, 73-year-old Congress candidate and five-time Congress MLA from Jagtial T Jeevan Reddy, is being projected as a leader of farmers.
He is being helped in his campaigning by Bodhan MLA P Sudarshan Reddy. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy assured the voters that if Jeevan Reddy is elected he will become Union Agriculture Minister and work for the development of the constituency. Congress leaders and cadre are hopeful that the CM’s visit has increased Jeevan Reddy’s victory chances.
The BRS is also leaving no stone unturned to win the seat. Its candidate Bajireddy Govardhan, a four-time MLA belonging to the Munnuru Kapu community like his BJP rival Arvind, is considered a mass leader. BRS chief and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, during campaigning, claimed that his party secured six percent more votes than the Congress and BJP in the segment in the Assembly elections and exuded confidence of the party candidate winning the LS seat.
While the BJP is confident of retaining the seat riding on the Modi wave, the Congress is expecting to bag more votes in Nizamabad Urban, Nizamabad Rural, Bodhan and Jagtial. The BRS, which has three Assembly seats in the segment, is hoping for the support of Muslim voters to win the parliament seat.