Over 2.41 lakh voters will give their verdict in the by-election to Munugode assembly constituency in Telangana on November 3, an election that is expected to influence the future course of state politics leading to next year’s legislative assembly elections.
The by-election in this backward constituency of Nalgonda district is crucial for all three major parties in the state – the ruling TRS, the opposition BJP and the Congress.
TRS, recently named as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), aims to demonstrate its dominance in state politics and go to the national level with big wins here.
The K Chandrashekhar Rao-led party would like to send a message at the national level – it can defeat the BJP and win.
The defeat in the by-election will not only affect its national plans but will also boost the morale of the opposition ahead of the assembly elections.
Meanwhile, the BJP is expected to accelerate its plans to emerge as an alternative to the BJP with a victory in Munugode.
The party is at a high during the last two years following its victories in the Dubak and Huzurabad assembly by-elections and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election.
Even if it ends up as the runner-up behind TRS, it can still claim to be the main opposition leaving Congress in third place.
It is almost a do-or-die battle for the troubled old party, given its poor performance in the 2014 and 2018 assembly elections and subsequent by-elections.
If Congress loses, it will be a double whammy for the party as Munugode was its seat.
There is also a Left side to the contest, with the CPI and CPI(M) announcing support to the TRS and actively campaigning for the ruling party’s victory.
The majority rural Munugode assembly constituency in Nalgonda district, about 85 km from Hyderabad, has a total of over 2.41 lakh eligible voters – 1,21,720 males and 1,20,128 females.
More than 60 per cent voters reportedly belong to backward classes.
August has seen a high-octane campaign, unprecedented in many ways, for the bypolls since Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy quit the Congress and joined the BJP as an MLA.
Though 47 candidates are in the fray, the main contestants are Rajagopal Reddy, who is seeking re-election on a BJP ticket, former TRS MLA Kusukuntala Prabhakar Reddy and Congress’ Palvai Shravanthi.
Relying on Raj Gopal Reddy’s popularity, the BJP has deployed Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, state unit president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar, party MLAs Eatala Rajendra and M Raghunandan Rao among other leaders for campaigning.
However, the TRS campaigned almost unheard of, with several state ministers, several MLAs and other leaders campaigning in support of their candidate, covering every inch of Munugode.
This has prompted the BJP to allege that the TRS has shifted the state secretariat to Munugode.
TRS has attacked Raj Gopal Reddy alleging that he had entered the BJP to consider in favor of business.
TRS working president K T Rama Rao had announced that he would “adopt” Munugode and personally focus on its development.
During the campaign, TRS highlighted various welfare schemes being implemented by the state government, including ‘Rythu Bandhu’ investment support scheme and ‘Rythu Bima’ life insurance scheme for farmers and free electricity to the agriculture sector, while NDA The government was accused. The Center has let the country down on every front.
TRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao addressed a public meeting last Sunday when he referred to the recent ‘poaching case of TRS MLAs’ and accused the BJP of ‘buying’ 20 or 30 of his party’s MLAs and toppling his government. charged up.
Munugode was a Left stronghold with CPI winning this segment in 1985, 1989, 1994, 2004 and 2009.
Congress candidate Palvai Shravanthi relies on the goodwill of his late father Palavai Govardhan Reddy, who served as Munugode MLA and MP.
State Congress President and MP A Revanth Reddy and other party leaders are campaigning for Shravani’s victory.
Nalgonda district has been a Congress stronghold and the party won two Lok Sabha constituencies (Nalgonda and Bhongir) in the district in the 2019 general elections.
Authorities had seized Rs 6.80 crore in cash and 4,560 liters of liquor till Monday evening as part of enforcement of the model code of conduct, but media reports indicate distribution of money and other inducements on a large scale.
Election The commission has deputed teams of Income Tax, GST, besides two expenditure supervisors, to probe the violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
The election campaign will end today evening. Counting of votes will take place on November 6.
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