Telangana: Why this election in Gajwel is an uphill task for KCR

The whiff of the VVIP constituency can be felt when you drive close to the town of Gajwel in the Gajwel assembly constituency represented by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao or KCR.

The visible infrastructure -- a smooth outer ring road, a modern vegetable market, an urban park with cottages, a forest rejuvenation centre, a separate educational complex for girls and boys, and a hospital with a paediatric ward – developed over 10 years has made the town neighbours’ envy.

Once you pass through the glitter you will find areas of dark spots that are visible only if you scratch the surface. These are the areas where the victims of government policies live. The dazzle of Gajwel, located just 80 km from Hyderabad, should make victory a cakewalk for the chief minister. But things do not seem so easy for the ruling BRS because discontentment is finding expression in many quarters mainly due to two factors.

Fiery opponent

One is a resurgent Congress. The other is that a most backward caste leader and a vocal friend-turned-foe of KCR, Eatala Rajender, is in the fray as the BJP candidate.

Rajender, an MLA from Huzurabad, has vowed to defeat KCR on his home turf. Once a cabinet minister, Rajender, a Mudiraj by caste, was sacked in 2021 on charges of land grabbing. He quit the assembly and won the bypoll as the BJP candidate.

Now, alleging that he was a victim of KCR’s hatred for an OBC leader, Rajender has entered the fray. He is also encouraged by the fact that the Gajwel constituency has sizable Mudiraj caste voters.

Sense of betrayal

Electorally, KCR is a unique phenomenon in Telangana politics. Rao (69) has never seen a defeat except on his debut in 1983. Later, he represented Siddipet assembly constituency six times. He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times.

In 2014, he switched over to Gajwel and defeated Vonteru Pratap Reddy of the Telugu Desam Party by 20,000 votes. In 2018, when Vonteru contested as Congress candidate, KCR won with a huge margin of 58,000 votes. But now, a hat-trick looks an uphill task for the most powerful leader of Telangana.

What has made the people feel betrayed is the inaccessibility of their chief minister-MLA. KCR lives in a fortress-like farmhouse close to the town. But no one is allowed near the farmhouse, a high-security zone. Many complain that KCR has never visited the constituency to interact with the people.

“Is it not strange that we seldom see our own MLA? Nor is there anyone to approach for help. Roads are not everything. We need MLA’s help in addressing our day-to-day issues. We have not seen our MLA amidst his voters even once in 10 years,” a local journalist complained on condition of anonymity.

A walk through the town and villages of Gajwel constituency takes one to several victims of the KCR’s development model. There are victims of two irrigation projects -- Mallanna Sagar and Konda Pochamma reservoirs -- which displaced people from 16 villages.

Discontent galore

Similarly, many farmers lost their land for the outer ring road and other projects. Several families have been victims of the incompetency of the Telangana Public Service Commission (TSPSC). Members of the Mudiraj OBC caste feel insulted as the caste was denied a ticket.

There is another class of victims, political victims, who actively took part in the Telangana movement but did not get any benefit after the formation of the state. Many describe this election as a fight between KCR and his victims.

Vottem Raju, who lost his land in Mallanna Sagar, says the compensation was inadequate to buy even a ‘gunta’ of land. “With the fertile land, we lost our livelihood. KCR wants us to sacrifice our land for nothing in return. Justice is not possible as long as BRS is around,” Raju said at his R&R colony on the outskirts of Gajwel.

Epuri Jyothi (name changed), a petty shop owner near Gajwel, is upset as her daughter who took coaching for three years in Hyderabad by spending Rs 5 lakh came back home as the TSPSC cancelled exams following a question paper leak. “My daughter’s dream of getting a government job is shattered. How long our children should wait for a TSPSC notification?” Jyothi asked.

Sunchu Mallaiah (77) from a nearby village said all the land given to them by Indira Gandhi had been taken back by KCR in the name of projects. “KCR wants us to sacrifice our land for the development. On the other hand, his farmhouse has grown in size,” Sunkari Akhila (24) remarked.

Eye on alternatives

Sivamallu Bhanu Chander, a graduate, says the people are emboldened to talk about injustice because they see alternatives to KCR on the horizon

“Voters see Congress as an alternative to KCR. As for our Gajwel, popular leader Eatala is in the contest. This makes a lot of difference. Earlier this was not the case,” he said.

BJP leader Eatala wants to tap into this sense of betrayal in Gajwel to upset BRS’ applecart. ‘Victimhood’ has become his campaign theme.

“Displaced people of 16 villages from Mallanna Sagar and Konda Pochamma reservoirs have not got adequate relief and rehabilitation package. The Mudiraj community feels slighted as KCR denied them a ticket. Thousands of job aspirants fell victim to TSPSC’s incompetency. Every household has been a victim of KCR’s policies. They want a change in Gajwel,” Eatala told The Federal while campaigning in Manoharabad.

But people like Muttevva (64), a beneficiary of an old age pension, treat KCR as their eldest son. Yadgir Reddy (59) of Sangapur is also happy with the power supply and Rythu Bandhu scheme.

The Congress has yet to make its presence felt in the area. But people acknowledge the revival of Congress. Ravi Yadav, a Congress leader, said Gajwel was traditionally a Congress seat and the party would wrest it from KCR in the November 30 election.

Lucky KCR?

However, Manohar Rao, an ardent admirer of Chief Minister KCR, has a strange logic that he says will ensure BRS’ hat-trick. In his view, KCR will return to power as he is fighting the election at the age of 69.

“KCR sir is 69 whose total is 15 and 5 plus 1 is 6, which is our leader’s lucky number. Whoever is his rival, our sir is sure to win the election with a huge margin,” Manohar, a real estate agent, told The Federal