TRS leaders believe that the bypoll could be bipolar between BJP and TRS, sending the Congress on the back foot.
New Delhi: After Congress MLA from Munugode Assembly constituency in Telangana, Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, resigned from the grand old party, and switched to the BJP, Telangana Rashtiya Samiti (TRS) leaders believe that the upcoming bypolls could be bipolar between BJP and TRS, sending the Congress again on the back foot in the constituency.
Sources said that the TRS is going to field Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy in the Assembly constituency. “Though K. Chandrashekhar Rao was supposed to announce the candidate this week, he has held it for now due to reasons known to him,” a TRS leader said.
However, the party is wary about the fact that most of its second line leadership in the Munugode constituency are against Prabhakar. According to an internal survey conducted by the party, it was perceived through assessment that Prabhakar is the only popular TRS candidate in the constituency among the people. However, many subordinate office bearers of the constituency have said that when he had won in 2014 Assembly elections from the same seat, “he did not take care of subordinate leaders,” a senior leader said quoting sarpanches, village level heads and other leaders in the constituency.
The Munugode bypolls, according to BJP leaders, is going to be very important for them. The saffron party is going to field Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, who had earlier won from the same Assembly constituency on Congress’ ticket in the 2018 Assembly elections. Later, Reddy left the Congress and joined the saffron party, necessitating the bypolls. Raj Gopal Reddy is also as a known figure in the constituency.
Moreover, TRS leaders believe that the Congress is a divided house in Telangana. “Unless Congress fields a strong candidate, it is somewhat going to be a bipolar contest, but still TRS will win,” a senior TRS leader said.
The saffron party had won only one seat in Telangana in the 2018 Assembly elections. But since then, in four Assembly bypolls, the party has hit the bull’s eye by winning two out of the four, despite having weaker organisational structure in the state.
Moreover, as the BJP is trying to strengthen the party’s political footing in Telangana, one more win in Assembly bypolls will mark a hat-trick for them in the state, bringing them a much needed momentum before the forthcoming Assembly elections in 2023, taking their tally of seats to overall three legislators. Telangana has 119 Assembly seats.
Talking to The Sunday Guardian, TRS MLA Asannagari Jeevan Reddy said. “TRS has nothing to do about other parties. Congress and BJP will fight for number two, so it will be bipolar for losing candidates. TRS will be the first. Our party is welfare oriented and people will give a bigger mandate to TRS.”