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The Congress high command decision to pitch Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A Revanth Reddy against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president and chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao in the Kamareddy assembly constituency has charged up the electoral atmosphere in the state, which is going to the polls on November 30, political observers said on Tuesday.
A senior Congress leader privy to the development said the decision to field Reddy against KCR was taken long ago but kept under wraps to be announced just four days before the closure of nominations.
“It is a smart and strategic move to pre-empt KCR and his team from luring local Congress leaders of the constituency into their party. All these days, former minister Mohammad Ali Shabbir, who represented Kamareddy twice in the past, was being projected as the party candidate. But Shabbir has been shifted to the adjacent Nizamabad (urban) constituency and Revanth Reddy’s name has been announced for Kamareddy,” the party leader said.
Soon after the first list of 115 candidates of BRS was announced on August 21, with KCR projected as the party candidate from both Gajwel and Kamareddy constituencies, the Congress strategy team led by political strategist Sunil Kanugolu of Mindshare Analytics conducted a survey in Kamareddy to elicit views of party leaders and voters.
“The survey revealed that there is an anti-incumbency wave in the constituency but the Congress needs a strong candidate to take on a leader of KCR’s stature. Shabbir is no doubt a good candidate and he enjoys a soft corner among the minority community, but he might not be able to give a tough fight against the chief minister,” the party leader quoted above said.
Political analyst Sriram Karri said the decision to field Reddy might have also been taken to avoid criticism that the Congress doesn’t have a strong candidate to fight against KCR.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded a strong candidate against the chief minister in Gajwel. So, the Congress was also looking for a similar popular face in Kamareddy and there is no better candidate than Revanth Reddy,” Karri said.
The announcement of the PCC chief as the party candidate from Kamareddy has electrified the atmosphere in the constituency. “The battle has now turned interesting. If Revanth Reddy wins the seat, he will emerge as a giant killer and will be an obvious choice for the chief minister post. Even if he loses, he will get the image of a fighter who has dared to take on the chief minister,” said T Bhaskar Rao, a college principal in Kamareddy.
With Reddy entering the fray, KCR cannot take his victory for granted. “The BRS has to focus all its energies on these constituencies now and see that KCR wins the seat at any cost. A similar situation is prevailing in Gajwel, where the BJP’s candidate Eatala Rajender is giving him a run for his money,” Rao said.
Being the party president and chief minister, KCR has been touring the entire state for electioneering and, hence, cannot concentrate exclusively on his own seats. So, he has entrusted the responsibilities to his son KT Rama Rao in Kamareddy and nephew T Harish Rao in Gajwel.
“With the top leaders focusing on Kamareddy, the Congress is expected to find it easier in other constituencies,” Karri added.
Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience.
Home Uncategorized Telangana election: Revanth Reddy’s direct contest with KCR heats up contest –...