Hyderabad: The Malkajgiri Parliamentary constituency is going to be the centre of a huge political battle in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
If sources are to be believed, heavyweights from all major political parties, from Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu to YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister Sharmila or her mother Vijayalakshmi, from actor turned politician Pawan Kalyan to former Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy, the list goes on, all are eyeing this seat.
Malkajgiri is one of the biggest constituencies in the country with over 30.34 lakh voters, a majority of whom are educated and from the middle class.
Political pundits say that one of the main reasons for Malkajgiri emerging as a hot favourite for parties like the TD, YSRC and Jana Sena (Pavan Kalyan’s party) is because about 10 lakh of the total 30 lakh voters here are from Seemandhra and non Telugu speaking states.
BJP leader N. Indrasena Reddy, who contested from Malkajgiri in the last election, said: “There is a large chunk of Seemandhra and non Telugu speaking voters here. But if political parties think that all Seemandhra votes will go to pro united AP parties, they are grossly mistaken. It is a Modi wave all the way. The people of Seemandhra will express their ire against Sonia Gandhi by voting for the BJP in the polls.”
LB Nagar MLA D. Sudheer Reddy said, “People from Seemandhra who settled in Hyderabad 40 to 50 years back might not vote against the Congress for the creation of Telangana as they have now become Hyderabadis. But those who settled here more recently might express their anger against the parties who supported Telangana, which includes the TD. However, this section of voters are not big in numbers.”
Sitting MP and Union minister Sarve Satyanarayana said, “Time and again, I have stood up for the protection, safety and security of Seemandhra voters against threats by the TRS when the Telangana agitation was at its peak. I won from here last time with a majority of nearly one lakh votes and this time, I want to create a Guinness record by winning with a majority of over five lakh votes.”
