Chevella: Will people reelect Kale Yadaiah or opt for change?

Nestled in the rural expanse of Ranga Reddy district, Chevella holds tremendous political significance in Telangana. Earlier, Chevella voted for different political parties. In 2009, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won this seat. Later Congress wrested the seat in 2014. In 2018, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), also known as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), emerged triumphant.

During the 2018 assembly election, TRS nominated Kale Yadaiah, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded Kanjarla Prakash. Congress gave a ticket to KS Ratnam. TRS secured victory with a margin of 33,552 votes. Yadaiah got 99,168 votes.

In the 2014 assembly election, Kale Yadaiah, contesting on a Congress ticket defeated TRS' Korani Sayanna Ratnam with a narrow margin of 781 votes. TDP's Mekala Venkatesh secured the third position with 15,117 votes.

A few days ago, Kale Yadaiah, BRS' candidate from Chevella, has done something different to woo the voters. Kale Yadaiah's distinctive campaign style is making waves in Chevella. He is going beyond conventional methods to establish a more personal and relatable connection with voters. Recently, he was spotted at a local salon, not only giving haircuts but also extending handshakes, grabbing the attention of the people. His active involvement at a local salon not only demonstrated his dedication to the community but also provided an opportunity to discuss residents' concerns and aspirations.

Rakesh, a software engineer, who works in an MNC, says, "When the elections are nearing, all politicians are busy canvassing for themselves. I am someone who resides in Madhapur but comes home during the weekend to help my parents who are farmers here. There are other things that they do but mostly depend on farming only. The government does provide schemes or financial help to farmers but not all of them know it. Awareness of the same has to spread. We are happy with whatever the BRS party has done till now for Telangana, Hyderabad, and the outskirts. The commute has become easy."

As the election campaign gains momentum, political leaders have exploed innovative ways to connect with the electorate. BRS MLA candidate Kale Yadaiah has tried new things to woo the electorate.

Pamena Bheem Bharath, who is contesting on a Congress ticket, is busy promoting himself in the area. Talking to Newsmeter, Bharath said, "Yadiah is someone who has eyes on the fact that the lands in Chevella are so costly and that he wants to occupy them by using his influence. He has made a lot of money just by doing these scams. He does not know how to do good to people. It is time to change the government in Telangana. I am sure Congress will win this time."

BJP candidate K Sayanna Ratnam was baptized into politics by the Telugu Desam Party and worked in various positions in the party. He contested from the Chevella constituency in the 2009 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election and won with a majority of 2249 votes against Congress candidate Kale Yadayah. He resigned from the Telugu Desam Party and joined the TRS after the formation of Telangana in 2014.

He contested on the TRS ticket in 2014 and lost to Congress candidate Kale Yadaiah by a narrow margin of 781 votes.

Kale Yadaiah joined the TRS in the wake of political mobilizations after KS Ratnam. As a result of not getting a ticket in the 2018 elections, he resigned from the TRS on September 13, 2018, and joined the Congress on September 27. He contested as a Congress candidate and lost to TRS’ Kale Yadayah. After the election, he joined the TRS party.

He resigned from the BRS party on October 26 when the ticket was allotted to the sitting MLA Kale Yadaiah.

"Development is something that Chevella is yet to get and see. Politicians keep jumping from one part to the other but all that matters to us is who can make this area a better place to live. Moinabad is slowly getting popular as many resorts and farmhouses are coming up and even films are being shot here nowadays. Streetlights are important as not all places have them. Roads are to be laid properly to avoid accidents in the area. There are not many good schools here. It is only those engineering colleges. Schools should also be opened for middle-class parents as well but in the locality and around, we have only international schools," says Anita, a homemaker.