Congress candidate K. Jana Reddy had no inkling of behind the scenes work launched a couple of months in advance by the ruling party to ensure it retained the Nagarjunasagar seat even as it sent deliberate signals initially about its difficulties in finalising the candidate.
The TRS victory is nothing but a reflection of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s strategy and perfectly executing the same on the ground. Social engineering and sympathy apart, the TRS needed something extra to defeat Mr. Jana Reddy, who had natural sympathy from voters as he lost the election in 2018 general elections.
When the Congress announced quite early that Mr. Jana Reddy would be its candidate, it was a foregone conclusion that he had an edge as there was no tall leader in the TRS to take him on. Moreover, the TRS was divided with two strong forces pushing for their candidates rather than Nomula Bhagat, son of late Nomula Narsimhaiah, whose untimely death necessitated the bypoll.
But the Chief Minister held his cards close to his chest without revealing the name he had in mind till the last day sending false confidence to the opposition that the party was struggling to find the right candidate to suit Mr. Jana Reddy’s stature.
Mr. KCR finalised Mr. Bhagat despite some apprehensions raised by some senior leaders on the non-local factor that was gaining some strength. He was aware of the numerically strong Yadava community’s sentiment, and also a strong Yadava leader in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that might have taken advantage if any other candidate was picked by the TRS.
A senior leader confessed that the CM wanted to neutralise the BJP effect even while ensuring the win for TRS candidate. After announcing Mr. Bhagat’s name, the party also successfully lured Mr. Anjaiah Yadav from the BJP to its fold.
The Chief Minister entrusted the responsibility of implementing his strategies to MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, who had gained confidence with his hard work and loyalty. He was crucial in the coordination of leaders and whom to tap where and when.
After deploying a host of Ministers and MLAs as in-charges for each mandal, the Chief Minister did not commit the mistake he did in Dubbak by-elections by staying away. In fact, he held two public meetings within a gap of a couple of months, a rarity, and one on the day before the campaigning ended, ensuring that his presence and his assurances for the constituency ringed in the ears of voters on the polling day as well. The financial muscle that the TRS had was also utilised to the maximum effect.
Morally down with a series of defeats and resource-crunched Congress entered the fray only on the individual strength of Mr. Jana Reddy, a veteran of many political battles. He could give at least a decent fight or else the battle was lost much before it had begun for the Congress.
The BJP was nowhere in the picture right from day one after it announced the little-known Ravi Kumar Naik, a young doctor from the Scheduled Tribes community. It is still baffling as to why Mr. Anjaiah Yadav was denied ticket by the BJP?
