Telangana CM Revanth’s Ghanpur visit sparks bypoll speculation

HYDERABAD: Is Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expecting byelections in the constituencies where leaders from the opposition parties defected to the ruling Congress?

If sources are to be believed, certain sections of leaders, both in the BRS and within the Congress, believe that the CM sees the possibility of bypolls being held in the near future.

To support their argument, these leaders are citing the latest developments, including Revanth Reddy’s tour of Station Ghanpur to inaugurate development works worth hundreds of crores, his appeal to the constituency people to stand with MLA Kadiyam Srihari to ensure development of the constituency and to understand the intentions of BRS president and former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao who, according to him, left the state in financial crisis after a 10-year misgovernance.

It may be mentioned here that Kadiyam Srihari deserted the BRS after the 2023 Assembly polls and joined the Congress in March 2024.

There is also the issue of disqualification petition, which is currently being heard in the Supreme Court. The apex court, which issued notices to the Assembly Speaker, Election Commission and other respondents, directed the Speaker to specify how much time is required to take a decision on the disqualification petition.

The Congress leaders, according to sources, believe that the CM is indirectly indicating that he wants to face byelections and wants to prove his strength based on the Congress’ good governance in the last 15 months.

Building confidence among turncoat MLAs

Party sources, meanwhile, revealed that Revanth Reddy is trying to build confidence among the legislators who joined the Congress from BRS. This comes in the wake of a few defected MLAs meeting a key BRS leader and former minister, ostensibly to express their desire to return to the pink party fold.

After this development, the CM is believed to be moving forward with a strategy of not only giving importance to the turncoat MLAs and their suggestions but also allocating funds for constituencies they represent.

By adopting this strategy, Revanth, according to party sources, is also trying to give the message that the Congress intends to develop all the constituencies, no matter who represents them.

The BRS leaders, on the other hand, believe that the CM has come up with these new plans because he wants to prevent these turncoat MLAs from returning to the pink party.

A former minister, meanwhile, is claiming that these legislators are sure to leave the Congress sooner than later as they sense a strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the ruling party. They don’t want to risk their future political career by staying in the Congress, he opines.