Medak Lok Sabha constituency, which was once represented by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, would witness a three-cornered contest between the Telangana Rashtra Samiti sitting MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, Congress leader Gali Anil Kumar and Bharatiya Janata Party’s M. Raghunandana Rao.
While Mr. Prabhakar Reddy is an incumbent, his two main rivals are trying their luck for the first time.
The TRS leadership’s focus on the constituency is evident from the fact that Siddipet MLA T. Harish Rao, a seasoned campaigner and party’s troubleshooter, has been entrusted with the responsibility of campaigning for its candidate. Accordingly, he has been participating in road shows and addressing election meetings. His effort is to get the highest majority for Mr. Prabhakar Reddy among all the LS seats in Telangana.
Meanwhile, the Congress has roped in former MP and Tollywood actor M. Vijayashanthi to campaign for its candidate. Medak has been a Congress bastion for a long time.
It was represented by the Congress nine times: P. Hanumantha Rao (1952-1957, 1957-1962), Sangam Lakshmi Bai (1967-1971), Mallikarajun (1977-1980), Indira Gandhi (1980-1984) and M. Baga Reddy (1989-1991, 1991-1996, 1996-1998 and 1998-1999).
But its grip and influence in the constituency has been on the wane after late Baga Reddy was defeated in 1999 by BJP’s Ale Narendra. Since then, it has not been able to regain its lost glory.
In the 2004 elections, Mr. Narendra joined the TRS. In 2009, it was Ms. Vijayashanthi who represented the seat on TRS ticket.
In 2014, party founder K. Chandrasekhar Rao represented the seat for a few months before resigning it to retain the Assembly seat that he had won from Gajwel. In the by-elections held in the same year, Kotha Prabhakar Reddy won the seat for the TRS.
In all the seven Assembly constituencies – Medak, Narsapur, Dubbak, Siddipet, Gajwel, Patancheru and Sangareddy – in the LS limits, the Congress has its representation only from Sangareddy district headquarters constituency, while all others are held by the ruling TRS.
Voter disenchantment
But the voters seem disenchanted with the TRS, given that it diverted Singur water to Sriramsagar project about two years ago resulting in drying up of crops and depletion of ground water.
“We voted TRS to power with the hope that it would develop our region, by it diverted the Singur water to Sriramsagar project putting us in trouble. Why should we vote for its leaders again?” asks K. Venkata Reddy, a Sangareddy resident.
Also, a promise made by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was that he would re-open the Nizam Deccan Sugars Limited (NDSL) within 100 days after the TRS comes to power, which has remained unfulfilled.
“Sugarcane farmers have made several appeals to the government on the issue, but to no avail,” rues M. Murlidhar, a resident of Medak town.
Besides, the residents of Patancheru, Hatnoora and other areas have been worried over industrial pollution. Many water bodies have been polluted forcing people to fetch water from other places.
‘No role for TRS’
The Opposition leaders say that the contest is between the Congress and the BJP, and TRS has no role at the Centre.
“In the past too, the TRS had 15 MPs, but it did not do anything for Telangana. What will it do now?” asks Ms. Vijayashanti, addressing a meeting in Medak.