Malkajgiri transformed CM Revanth’s political career; will it support him again in LS polls?

Hyderabad: Malkajgiri parliamentary constituency helped in the political rebirth of chief minister A Revanth Reddy, so to speak. His win against all odds in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, after losing in Kodangal in the 2018 Assembly Elections, transformed his political career.

Revanth Reddy, who was confined to state politics earlier, became a recognisable and noted face, courtesy of his stint in national politics between 2019 and 2024 as Malkajgiri Lok Sabha MP. It helped him rub shoulders with the who’s who of national politics and at the same time allowed him to make new friends in the form of influential and young MPs representing various national and regional parties.

Work as Malkajgiri MP

Being in national politics also helped him to be in regular touch and get close with the Congress High Command and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. When the national party was handing over complete control to its state units, Revanth was made PCC chief and after the elections was finalised for the coveted CM post despite many contenders and seniors in the State unit.

If one may recall, many a time Revanth Reddy stressed in his speeches in the Lok Sabha that he represents Malkajgiri, the biggest Lok Sabha segment in the country in terms of the number of voters (nearly 35 lakh).

Emotional connection with Malkajgiri

After submitting his resignation to the Lok Sabha seat before taking oath as Telangana CM in December's first week, Revanth also wrote an emotional open letter to the people of Malkajgiri acknowledging their support in tough times. He also stressed that the segment holds a special place in his heart, till his last breath, along with Kodangal.

To sum it up, the Malkajgiri segment gave a big fillip and break to Revanth’s political career. Being a sitting seat for Congress, retaining Malkajgiri in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be a prestige issue for CM Revanth Reddy, perhaps more than the party.

He will not settle for anything less than a victory in this segment. There comes a big challenge for the party. In the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, it was Revanth Reddy’s image alone that helped him and Congress to score a big upset although BRS enjoyed a clear majority and strong base in all seven Assembly segments under it.

Will Revanth Reddy be able to repeat the same result in the coming poll is the big question. The worrying factor is Congress’ poor show in the Greater Hyderabad region in the recent Assembly elections where it drew a blank, with Malkajgiri no exception.

Edge for Congress in Revanth’s home turf: Telakapalli Ravi

Political analyst Telakapalli Ravi feels Congress has a clear edge and is better placed to win in the Malkajgiri segment. The national party winning the recent Assembly elections and forming government in Telangana, low morale in BRS post-Assembly setback, and BJP confining just to single-digit seats will only add to Congress’ advantage, he said.

BRS is not looking upbeat and even political pundits are discounting the regional party’s chances to make a comeback in the Parliament elections. He felt that the BJP and prime minister Narendra Modi's impact would not be significant in South India and more so in Telangana.

“Malkajgiri is like a home turf now for CM Revanth, perhaps more than Kodangal. After the unexpected upset in Kodangal in the 2018 Assembly polls, he was almost down and out. However, in less than six months, Revanth swam against the tide and won the Malkajgiri MP seat, which also led to a grand revival, transformation, and continuation of his political career. It’s no surprise that he has an emotional attachment for the constituency and can be expected to give special focus for Congress win in Malkajgiri segment,” Ravi said.

Challenge to find a strong candidate

However, the big challenge for Congress is to find an able and strong candidate in Malkajgiri to replace Revanth and repeat the winning show.

BJP zeroed in on Eatala Rajender, a former minister, and a political heavyweight, as its candidate. Regarding BRS, the names of Ch Bhadra Reddy, son of former minister Ch Malla Reddy, who is now politically strong in the district and MLC Shambirpur Raju are doing the rounds. Against this backdrop, all eyes are on Congress to field a winning horse in Malkajgiri.

Congress keen on capturing GHMC

Addanki Dayaker, TPCC leader and a close aide of Revanth Reddy, said the party will give the ticket to a winnable candidate. He said Congress has a clear edge in the segment compared to BRS and the BJP. The party being in power in the State will make voters rethink whom to support in the Lok Sabha election.

“The atmosphere is in favour of Congress this time. During Assembly elections, BRS created unnecessary concerns in the minds of voters, esp. settlers, and hence they rallied behind the pink party in the GHMC region. Now the voters will be rethinking their stand,” Dayaker said.

Dayakar further said that Congress is leaving no stone unturned to bag all three seats that come under the GHMC limits including Malkajgiri, Secunderabad, and Chevella.