It will be a cakewalk for TRS in MLC polls

Saturday is the last day for withdrawal of candidates and two TRS candidates will most probably be declared elected unopposed if one more independent candidate withdraws in their favour in Karimnagar. Out of 12 MLC seats, the TRS has already bagged the Warangal (Mr Konda Murali), Medak (Mr Bhupal Reddy), Nizamabad (Dr R. Bhupathi Reddy) and Adilabad (Mr Puranam Satish) seats uncontested. In Medak, Mr Shivaraj Patil of the Congress and Mr Bali Reddy of the Telugu Desam withdrew their nominations, ensuring that TRS candidate and former MLC Bhupal Reddy won unopposed.

As a further slap to the Congress, Mr Shivaraj Patil immediately joined the TRS after withdrawing his nomination. “It is shocking…cannot believe this. It is unusual to hear that our party nominee has not only withdrawn his papers but has also joined the TRS,” said former minister Dr J. Geetha Reddy.

Former Congress government whip and former Sangareddy MLA Turpu Jayaprakash Reddy said, “If the candidate himself withdraws from the contest, what explanation can we give to the party high command?”

In Nizamabad, Congress candidate Venkataramana Reddy and independent candidate Battini Jagadish withdrew from the contest paving the way for TRS MLC candidate Dr R. Bhupathi Reddy.

Congress sources said Mr Venkataramana Reddy had kept huge money as “deposit” with some Congress leaders in Hyderabad for election expenses. In Adilabad, TD candidate Narayana Reddy and independent candidate Riazuddin withdrew their nominations. Here too Mr Narayana Reddy announced that he was joining the TRS. This has resulted in TRS candidate Puranam Satish winning the seat unopposed.

Despite Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy replacing Mr Ponnala Laxmaiah as the Telangana Congress Committee president, the party has been steadily losing leaders as well as cadres. The Telangana Pradesh Congress Chief (TPCC)leadership has not taken any step to instill confidence among party cadres nor has it taken preventive measures to stop leaders and legislators from quitting the party and joining the ruling TRS.

Only so-called bigwigs of the Congress remain, but these leaders have their own style of functioning, and a separate agenda to market themselves but not the party. Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy has tried to be amicable to all, but is unable to come up with good strategies to take on the ruling party through mass agitations. Former Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy, Ms Renuka Chowdary, Mr V. Hanumantha Rao, Leader of Opposition in Assembly K. Jana Reddy have decades of experience in the party but they have failed to fight unitedly against the TRS threat that looms large over the Congress.

Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy, who took over party reins in March this year, initially tried to establish his command by undertaking tours of the districts. He also organised a few dharnas, but there has been no activity for the last few months involving the cadre. Leaders have confined themselves to addressing media conferences frequently, blaming the government on various issues, but have failed to mobilise their own party cadres. At a time when the ruling TRS has decided to embarrass the Opposition, including the Congress, by encouraging defections on a mass scale across the state, the TPCC leadership has failed to convince the leaders and cadres though they had advance knowledge about them quitting the party.

The selection of Mr S. Rajaiah for the Warangal Lok Sabha seat against whom there had been complaints, the selection of Mr Sarve Satyanarayana after Mr Rajaiah’s arrest as the party nominee, the Congress candidate losing his deposit in a Lok Sabha segment, have all gone against the party.

The Congress has a nominal presence in the north Telangana districts; though it had a good number of electorate in local bodies, it failed to put up candidates in all the 12 seats and only contested five. Even in these five, two candidates withdrew their nominations. There have been no convincing answers from the TPCC leadership on why it failed to put up candidates in Warangal, Karimnagar and Adilabad districts.

According to a senior leader of the party, the AICC is worried about the developments in Telangana Pradesh Congress comittee and will wait for the ensuing Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls and Narayankhed bypolls before taking corrective steps. “The AICC is only watching now, if the party fares badly in the GHMC polls and is unable to retain the Narayankhed Assembly seat, some serious steps will be initiated,” said a senior leader.

The TRS is set to duplicate the results in Warangal and Adilabad district for the MLC polls and win both seats in Karamnagar district after two independent candidates withdrew their nominations on Friday. Party leaders appeared confident that they would be able to persuade the other candidates who are in the fray to drop out. The TRS has fielded former MLCs Laxman Naradasu and T. Bhanu Prasad Rao. Four independents had filed nominations though no major party, including theCongress, DP, BJP and Left entered the fray. Finance minister Etela Rajender is doing his best to enable the party win both seats.