Best efforts by the Congress and the BJP-TDP combine to push the TRS party to a corner on its failure to fulfil a single promise in the 100 days in power failed to cut ice with the voters in the by-election to Medak Lok Sabha seat.
Result announced on Tuesday gave ample indication that voters are still with the TRS. Their expectations were dashed by the outcome as the TRS managed to lead in all the seven Assembly segments. Although, the margin of victory of Kotha Prabhakar Reddy (TRS) was less compared to that of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the TRS leadership attributed it to the low voter turn out. While the polling per centage in the general election was 77 per cent, it declined to 67.79 per cent in the by-poll held on September 13.
Congress party was banking on sympathy for former Minister and its candidate V. Sunitha Laxma Reddy in Narsapur and Medak Assembly segments while the BJP nominee T. Jayaprakash Reddy hoped to make inroads in his strongholds of Sangareddy and Patancheru constituencies.
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TRS went to the voters projecting the Congress and the BJP-TDP candidates as opposed to the creation of separate Telangana State. The party in particular targeted the BJP nominee, whose animosity against TRS and its pro-statehood stand is well known. Congress and the BJP-TDP candidates made a vain bid to target the TRS government’s 100 days in office and exposing its failure to fulfil one single poll promise. However, the voters continued their loyalty towards the TRS, which is still seen as the party that had achieved Telangana for them. The last minute effort by Union Ministers - Prakash Javadekar and Sadananda Gowda - to impress upon the voters did not yield any result despite their assurance that any issues brought forward by Mr. Jayaprakash Reddy would be addressed immediately. The Congress tried to present a grand show by roping in senior leaders from the entire State but failed in their bid.
TPCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah said the result had not disappointed the Congress party. “The parties in fray are all ruling parties. TRS, BJP and TDP are in power in Telangana, Centre and Andhra Pradesh. It is only Congress which put up a lone show,” he said. He alleged misuse of official machinery to win the polls.
BJP Telangana president G. Kishan Reddy said he did not think much of its defeat in the Medak parliamentary by poll as its support base remains intact. The real sufferers are the TRS and Congress which suffered a dent in their popularity.
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“There is huge fall in the TRS margin of victory,” he said.