For Revanth, finishing KCR’s government in Telangana means a turning point in his political career.
NEW DELHI
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief Revanth Reddy is facing a tough challenge not only in Kamareddy, but in Kodangal as well. Reddy won this seat twice in 2009 and 2014, but faced a defeat in the 2018 Assembly elections by TRS (now BRS) candidate Narender Reddy with a margin of 9,319 votes. Once again, Revanth Reddy will face Narender in a close contest. However, there are mixed opinions about Revanth Reddy winning Kodangal. The main reason behind this is the irrigation problem in the area, which is prone to drought. While KCR promised to bring water to the area, on the ground, it is not very visible. However, the KCR government ensured adequate power supply in the area. So on one side, it’s a plus for BRS, while on the other side, it’s a minus, said a local expert.
Revanth Reddy is vocal against the BRS, and to counter this, IT Minister and KCR’s son, K.T. Rama Rao, is giving the same back to him. During campaigning, it is evident that for Revanth, finishing KCR’s regime in Telangana means a turning point in his political career, while BRS is trying hard to make Revanth lose both seats so that they politically finish Reddy’s political career. Youths and women are key deciders in the constituency. While Congress is relying on its six guarantees, BRS is pushing its Rythu Bandhu, Aasara pensions, Kalyana Lakshmi, and Shaadi Mubarak schemes. Due to the constituency being close to Karnataka, where Congress won recently, the implementation of its guarantees is adding an advantage to the Congress. The election is also crucial for BRS candidate Narendra Raddy, as KCR said during a rally in Kodangal: “don’t vote for Revanth to be Chief Minister, as they will not come to power, but rather vote for Narendra”, and promotion will surely come for him after his victory. He also said that after defeating Raventh, “I will give you hundreds of crores for development works in the constituency.”
Commenting on KCR’s statement that Congress will not cross the 20-seat mark, Revanth Reddy said, “The Congress will not get less than 80 seats. If the party gets fewer seats, I am ready for any punishment.” Both BRS and Congress are confident of their victory in Kodangal, but a challenging road lies ahead as they have been betrayed by both governments on the water crisis issue, said a resident in Kodangal.