Kamareddy: Sitting CM Vs CM aspirant makes this low-key constituency India’s election highlighter

Hyderabad: Kamareddy, typically a low-key constituency in Telangana, is thrust into the limelight as Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will be contesting here and the opposition Congress is fielding its state unit president A Revanth Reddy.

Over 100 km from here, Kamareddy became a talking point after Rao announced his decision in August to contest from the constituency.

The Congress on its part decided to put up its best bet by fielding PCC president Revanth Reddy, a bitter critic of Rao in the segment.

However, in addition to Kamareddy, Rao is seeking re-election from the Gajwel seat.

Revanth Reddy is contesting additionally from Kodangal which he had represented earlier. Reddy was accompanied by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah when he filed the nomination from Kamareddy last week.

Meanwhile, experts say that the BJP candidate contesting from Kamareddy -- K Venkata Ramana Reddy, is no pushover either.

There has been a tremendous response to Rao's candidature from Kamareddy, said BRS MLC Seri Subhash Reddy, who was involved in the campaign.

"A public meeting was held when KCR filed nomination. Such a turnout was never seen in the history of Kamareddy. A public meeting with 70,000 to 80,000 people can generally be noisy. Except for hailing KCR, people listened to him in rapt attention," he told PTI.

Revanth Reddy was fighting the election from Kamareddy only to show that he is a big leader in Congress and there would be no real contest with CM KCR, Subhash Reddy claimed.

Provision of irrigation facility to Kamareddy, an upland area, and social security pensions to beedi workers are some of the promises being made to people, he noted.

Rao, who filed a nomination on November 9 from Kamareddy, had said the sitting BRS MLA of the constituency Gampa Govardhan, and other leaders had urged him to contest from there.

Gampa Govardhan is a five-time legislator representing Kamareddy since 1994.

Govardhan had defeated Mohd Ali Shabbir, a senior Congress leader who had served as a minister and leader of the opposition in the legislative council, in the 2018 polls.

During a public meeting, Rao had said water supply would be ensured to Kamareddy and the nearby Yellareddy constituencies by completing the pending Kaleshwaram project works expeditiously.

He had also announced that social security pensions would be provided to the nearly one lakh new beedi workers in the state.

Beedi workers are in considerable numbers in Kamareddy.

Rao vowed to make Kamareddy a "piece of gold" in terms of development and progress if he is elected as MLA from the constituency.

Sparks flew between CM KCR and Revanth Reddy in an indication of the contest ahead.

Referring to the 2015 cash-for-vote case in which Revanth Reddy was an accused, Rao had said the person who attempted to "purchase" (BRS MLAs) and was caught with Rs 50 lakh money has been pitted against him now in Kamareddy.

Revanth Reddy had sought to know why KCR would contest Kamareddy if he had ensured progress and development in Gajwel.

Speaking at a rally after filing his nomination Revanth Reddy alleged that KCR has chosen to contest from Kamareddy with an "eye on the lands in Kamareddy and its surroundings".

Kamareddy was part of Nizamabad district earlier and later a district was formed with Kamareddy as its headquarters during the reorganization of districts carried out by the BRS government.

Agriculture is the main occupation of people with paddy, maize, jowar, turmeric, sugarcane and others being the main crops cultivated in the undivided Nizamabad district.

Another burning issue in Kamareddy is the master plan that was announced for the development of the town.

The plan was, however, shelved following protests from farmers.

Many people from the region used to migrate to Gulf countries in search of livelihood but the phenomenon has declined in recent times given a fall in opportunities in those countries. Unemployment is the main problem, said P Ram Mohan, a senior journalist from Nizamabad.

The total number of voters in Kamareddy is 2,45,822, including 1,18,718 (male) and 1,27,080 (female) electors.

Telangana would go to polls on November 30 and the counting of votes would be taken up on December 3.