Telangana Elections: Stage set for Mahabubnagar showdown; poll a prestige issue for Congress

Hyderabad: Mahabubnagar, formerly known as Palamuru, has significant importance for all political parties in Telangana State. Although Mahabubnagar is known for being the birthplace of the Kohinoor diamond, its role in the formation of Telangana statehood is of more interest to political leaders.

The district took centre stage in both phases of the Telangana agitation movement, which was instrumental in sending two MPs — J Ramesh Rao and chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao — to the Parliament.

Currently, influential BJP leaders DK Aruna, former MP Jithender Reddy, and Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy hail from this district. Notably, Jithender Reddy advocated for prime minister Narendra Modi’s candidacy from the Mahabubnagar Parliamentary seat in the BJP’s national executive committee meeting held last year.

Hence, the district now stands as a battleground of prestige among three party leaders, each vying to secure seats for their national leaders, showcasing their political strength.

Age-old Congress, TDP feud in Mahabubnagar

NT Ramarao, the founder of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), once contested from the Mahabubnagar Assembly seat in 1989 but faced defeat against his Congress rival. Since then, a political tug-of-war has unfolded between Congress and TDP.

However, after clinching Telangana, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) garnered victory twice riding the Telangana sentiment, securing the MP seat from Mahabubnagar.

In the other Assembly segments too, BRS claimed seven, while Congress and TDP won five and two seats respectively in 2014. However, in 2018, BRS swept all seats except Kollapur, whose representative has now joined BRS.

KCR, in a strategic move, unveiled 115 candidates for the state’s 119 Assembly constituencies, ensuring contesting of incumbent MLAs. While Congress and BJP have received applications, their final candidate lists are yet to be announced.

Parties have elaborate plans for Mahabubnagar

On September 16, KCR is scheduled to address his second public gathering after announcing the candidates, marking the occasion with the launch of the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district.

On the other end, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Revanth Reddy has been inviting his former colleagues from TDP and key leaders of BRS to join Congress. This resulted in BRS former MLA Gurunath Reddy, former minister Jupally Krishna Rao, MLC K Damodar Reddy’s son K Rajesh Reddy, and Gadwal ZP chairperson T Sarita joining Congress.

Recently, former TDP MLAs Kothakota Seetha Dayakar Reddy and Erra Sekhar Reddy have also joined the party, boosting Congress prospects in at least four Assembly segments.

Through these invitations, Revanth wants to put BRS in a tough position. He believes that the BRS has contributed nothing substantial to the district and has heavily relied on KCR’s image for banking votes. Therefore, in the coming days, everyone is closely watching the Congress candidates list, drawing considerable anticipation among the residents of the district.