Telangana polls: CM KCR's Gajwel, Kamareddy among key constituencies

BRS supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao sprang a surprise when he announced that he would be contesting from two seats in the Assembly polls to be held on November 30.

Despite dominating the political landscape in Telangana since the formation of the state in 2014, Rao who represents Gajwel assembly constituency in Siddipet district chose to contest additionally from Kamareddy constituency in the upcoming assembly election.

Rao, who announced BRS candidates for 115 out of the total 119 assembly seats on August 21, said he had decided to contest from two segments as there were requests from leaders of several districts.

Rao, also known as KCR, had won from Gajwel in 2018 and also in 2014. He had defeated Vanteru Pratap Reddy of Congress in the 2018 election with a margin of over 50,000 votes.

Reddy was KCR's rival in 2014 as well and lost by about 20,000 votes.

Post 2018, Pratap Reddy joined the BRS and is now the chairman of the state-run Telangana State Forest Development Corporation.

BRS spokesperson Sravan Dasoju expressed confidence KCR would win from both the constituencies with a thumping majority.

"There is an unprecedented growth and development that has happened in Gajwel. People are extremely happy," he said.

Dismissing the statements of BJP MLA Eatala Rajender that he would contest from Gajwel and other comments made by state Congress president A Revanth Reddy, Dasoju expressed confidence that KCR would win hands down and by a thumping majority.

Located about 55 km away from Hyderabad, Gajwel has witnessed impressive growth in infrastructure and has benefited from the welfare measures implemented by the BRS regime.

The total number of electors in Gajwel is 2,65,708, including 1,33,855 female voters.

Gajwel was a panchayat till 2012 when it was upgraded as nagara panchayat, duly merging three gram panchayats and five other hamlets.

"Roads, drinking water, to name a few (development in Gajwel). The infrastructure (growth) is phenomenal. Market yard, community centre, streets, lights, drinking water facility, you don't feel that you are staying in some remote place,” Dasoju said.

However, people who were relocated for the sake of the Mallannasagar project in the constituency had held protests saying they had not received adequate compensation.

Dasoju said BRS had got the major chunk of votes in the villages affected by the project in the 2018 assembly polls and that nobody was left out when providing compensation.

The other constituency that KCR would be contesting from, Kamareddy near Nizamabad, would also be under the spotlight in the 2023 assembly polls.

Kamareddy is currently represented by Gampa Govardhan (BRS), a five-time legislator since 1994.

Govardhan had defeated Mohd Ali Shabbir, a senior Congress leader who had served as a minister and leader of the opposition in the legislative council, in the 2018 polls.

KCR’s son and BRS Working President K T Rama Rao, who attended development programmes and addressed a rally at Kamareddy on October 7, expressed the determination of the BRS to develop the constituency into a model for others.

Appreciating Govardhan for inviting KCR to contest from Kamareddy, Rama Rao said the reason for CM Rao agreeing to contest is the "noble objective" of providing irrigation facility to every acre of agricultural field in the constituency.

KCR is going to set a new record of being the first chief minister in South India to score a hat trick in the assembly polls and Kamareddy is going to be the venue for the feat, he said.

Stating that the victory of KCR is not the question in Kamareddy, he said his father should get a record majority in the country.

Rama Rao asked Govardhan and other Kamareddy leaders to come up with a village-wise manifesto in the constituency, listing the development requirements. Every work mentioned in the manifesto would be fulfilled, he said. A special manifesto for Kamareddy would also be prepared.

Rama Rao also asked Govardhan and other BRS leaders in the constituency to appoint booth committees and social media coordinators in every village as part of the poll campaign.

Despite his heavyweight rival, Congress's Ali Shabbir expressed confidence that he would win the election in Kamareddy. The attendance at Rama Rao’s meetings in Kamareddy on October 7 was thin, which is a precursor to the election result, he claimed.

The total number of electors in Kamareddy is 2,45,982. It has 1,18,718 male and 1,27,080 female voters.

With a rise in Rama Rao's stature both within BRS and outside, his constituency of Sircilla in Rajanna-Sircilla district is also being keenly watched.

Rama Rao was elected as a legislator from Sircilla in the 2009, 2014, and 2018 general elections and also in a byelection in 2010.

He had won in Sircilla in 2009 against his nearest independent rival K K Mahender Reddy with a slender margin of 171 votes.

However, Rama Rao won against Mahender Reddy who contested on a Congress ticket in 2018 over 89,000 votes.

Sircilla is a town where a major chunk of the population is weavers.

"The ruling BRS nominee has many negative points and I have voters' sympathy,” Mahender Reddy said.

Half of the weavers in Sircilla have sold their power looms and are working as labour, he alleged. Common people cannot reach Rama Rao, he claimed.

Though there is a perception among some voters that Rama Rao allocated more funds for development and is also implementing several welfare schemes in Sircilla, Mahender Reddy does not agree.

It is expected that the BRS Working President's frequent visits to his constituency would also keep him in good stead in the elections.

The Congress and BJP are yet to officially announce their candidates in Sircilla.

The total number of voters in Sircilla assembly segment is 2,40,904. There are 1,17,872 male voters and 1,22,920 female voters.

(With agency inputs)