HYDERABAD: Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has opponents BJP and Congress guessing over the Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s candidate for the upcoming bypoll for Huzurabad assembly constituency. While the Election Commission (EC) is yet to announce the poll schedule, campaigning for BJP candidate and former health minister Eatala Rajender is in full swing.
The TRS too is not leaving anything to chance with ministers hitting the campaign trail in the constituency and extending welfare sops to beneficiaries in Huzurabad. However, its candidate for the contest remains a mystery. The ‘element of surprise’ in the last-minute announcements of TRS contesting candidates by KCR has worked successfully for the ruling party in two crucial polls previously. This, as opposition parties barely had any time to prepare a candidate-specific plan of attack.
The element of surprise worked in favour of the ruling party when it wrested the Hyderabad-Ranga Reddy-Mahbubnagar Graduate MLC seat from BJP by fielding S Vani Devi, daughter of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. The strategy is said to have caught the opposition parites off-guard.
Similarly, everyone was kept guessing over TRS’ candidate for the Nagarjunasagar assembly bypoll with KCR declaring Nomula Bhagat — son of Nomula Narsimhaiah whose death necessitated the by-poll — as the party’s contestant a day before the last date for filing of nominations.
The “surprise element” talk has gained momentum for Huzurabad in the political circles as P Kaushik Reddy who was considered as most likely candidate from the TRS for the bypoll, neither got any assurance nor indication about it from KCR who welcomed him into the ruling party on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, CM KCR is showering sops on Huzurabad assembly constituency. After announcing that the Telangana Dalitha Bandhu scheme for development of SCs would be launched from Huzurabad constituency, KCR on Friday appointed Banda Srinivas as chairman of Telangana State Scheduled Castes Development Corporation Limited.
Banda Srinivas, a resident of Huzurabad, belongs to the SC (Madiga) community. There are over 45,000 voters from the SC community of whom over 35,000 are Madigas.
On Friday, ministers Gangula Kamalakar and V Srinivas Goud among others distributed cheques to beneficiaries in Huzurabad segment towards Kalyana Lakshmi and other welfare schemes. Distribution of welfare benefits has picked up momentum in the poll-bound Huzurabad .
Previously, the ruling party had announced S Vani Devi and Nomula Bhagat as its candidates for the Graduate MLC poll and Nagarjunasagar bypoll at the last minute. TRS ended up winning the electoral contest on both occasions
