Kodangal man stakes claim to Malkajgiri

HYDERABAD: Revanth Reddy’s political career has been, for the lack of a better phrase, a rollercoaster ride. Only a few months ago, he was met with disappointment and embarrassment when he lost the Kodangal Assembly segment to a TRS candidate. Now, Reddy has been handed the chance to fight from the largest Lok Sabha constituency in the country - Malkajgiri.

The Congress leader is popular among the masses. He is known to be one of the sharpest critics of the TRS government. But Reddy might be out of his depth in Malkajgiri. He is not a local and ,to make things worse, it doesn’t seem he has the support of his party’s cadre. Even the voters in Malkajgiri, thanks to the urban and cosmopolitan nature of the city, are different from his home constituency Kodangal in Vikarabad district.

Speaking to Express, Reddy admits that winning the seat won’t be a cakewalk. But he remains confident, both of his ability to win and his popularity. “I agree that I am new to Malkajgiri. But my face is not unfamiliar to the people of Malkajgiri,” he says.

Reddy says that his strategy is two-pronged. “My electoral campaign has two aspects. Firstly, I am campaigning aggressively in all seven Assembly segments of Malkajgiri. Secondly, I am working to bring back all those Congressmen that have left the party and joined TRS,” he says. Congress has, as Reddy admits, has been rocked by a series of defections to TRS since the Assembly elections.

The Congress leader claims that in spite of the fact that Malkajgiri is a part of Greater Hyderabad, there hasn’t been development here. “The Centre has announced no new projects here. The State government too has not developed any infrastructure here,” he says, adding that his main goal, should he win, will be to get funding from the Centre for various development projects in the constituency.

Reddy’s home in Jubilee Hills is currently the nerve centre of his campaign. He indeed means business. His close aides say Reddy starts his day at 9 am and doesn’t end it until at least 8.30 pm. From meetings to interactions with voters, Reddy seems ready to give the fight everything he has. But will it work?