Home to some of the prestigious institutions and an Ordnance Factory, the Sangareddy constituency has a unique record of sending four Independent candidates to the Assembly. But it continues to have its share of problems, including those related to municipalities, internal roads and drinking water as well as the dumpyard problem in Sangareddy town.
For the record, the Sangareddy Assembly constituency, which was created in 1957, has witnessed 14 elections so far, out of which the Congress won six times, while Independents won four times, BRS twice and BJP and TDP one time each.
P Ramachandra Reddy won the segment most number of times, five to be precise, four times on the Congress ticket and once as an Independent. He also served as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly during Marri Channa Reddy’s tenure as the chief minister in the undivided Andhra Pradesh.
He also served as the Minister for Heavy Industries in Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy’s Cabinet. At one time, his name was also considered for the CM post. Incumbent MLA Turpu Jayaprakash Reddy alias Jagga Reddy won the seat thrice — in 2004 as a candidate of TRS (now BRS) and on the Congress ticket in 2009 and 2018 polls.
Interestingly, in the very first election held in 1957, Independent candidate Kishtamachari won the seat. The Independent candidates went on to successfully contest from the segment in three more elections — P Narsimha Reddy in 1967 and 1978, and P Ramachandra Reddy in 1983.
Long-pending issues
Besides the Ordnance Factory, located in Eddumailaram village of Kandi mandal that manufactures and supplies state-of-the-art battle tanks to the Indian Army, the segment is also home to institutions like IIT Hyderabad, which is adjacent to National Highway 161 in the same Mandal.
The constituency also boasts of a large number of brewery industries, which generate good revenue for the State government.
Though it also has the Manjeera Reservoir and filter bed, which provide drinking water to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad as well as Sangareddy, potable water is not being supplied to several villages in the constituency.
Srinivas Reddy, a resident of Saikrishi Nagar in Sangareddy town, says that though the government claims it is providing drinking water to every household under Mission Bhagiratha, it is not reaching many villages and several wards in the town.
He also complains that several internal roads in the town are in deplorable condition.The other residents of the town allege that roads and sewers are being built only in areas where the councillors reside.
Jagga vs Chinta
Despite these persistent problems, both incumbent Congress MLA Jagga Reddy and BRS candidate Chinta Prabhakar are confident that the voters of the constituency will vote for them on November 30.
“The welfare schemes and development works being carried out by the BRS government will ensure the party’s victory. I am approachable and always available for the people. I served them even during the Covid-19 pandemic. I am sure people will vote for me,” Prabhakar says while claiming credit for the establishment of a medical college in Sangareddy.
Jagga Reddy, on the other hand, is confident of retaining the seat as “the winds are blowing in favour of the Congress and the voters have decided to dethrone the current anti-people government”.
He also claims credit for the establishment of IIT Hyderabad and the medical college in the constituency but blames Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Ministers KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao for a lack of all-round development in the last nine years.
“I wrote several times to Finance Minister T Harish Rao, who is from Sangareddy district, KCR and KTR. However, the government has not released a single paisa for the development of the Sangareddy constituency. People know these facts and they will surely re-elect me from the segment,” says Jagga Reddy.
Meanwhile, the BJP is yet to announce its candidate but the party, according to sources, is likely to give tickets to either Rajeshwar Rao Deshpandey or Pulimamidi Raju.
Past winners
1957 Kishtamachary (Independent)
1962 P Ramachandra Reddy (Congress)
1967 P Narsimha Reddy (Independent)
1972 P Ramachandrareddy (Congress)
1978 P Narsimha Reddy (Independent)
1983 P Ramachandra Reddy (Independent)
1985 P Ramachandra Reddy (Congress)
1989 P Ramachandra Reddy (Congress)
1994 K Sadasivareddy (TDP)
1999 K Satyanarayana (BJP)
2004 T Jayaprakash Reddy (BRS)
2009 T Jayaprakash Reddy (Congress)
2014 Chinta Prabhakar (BRS)
2018 T Jayaprakash Reddy (Congress)