All arrangements are in place for the polling of the Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam graduate MLC constituency byelection scheduled for May 27 across 34 Assembly segments in three erstwhile districts of the State. Although it is just a byelection for a single MLC constituency, it is attracting the attention of political pundits as well as commoners due to various factors.
Following a major electoral defeat for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the December 2023 Assembly polls that ousted them from power after nearly 10 years, BRS leaders have toiled extensively to ensure the victory of their candidate, Anugula Rakesh Reddy, in this bypoll necessitated by the resignation of BRS MLC Palla Rajeswar Reddy, following his election as Jangaon MLA.
BRS sympathisers believe that winning this election is crucial, as the party is perceived to have lost the support of the youth. Meanwhile, the Congress, which came to power by defeating the BRS, is also striving to win this election to assert its political dominance. The Congress has fielded YouTuber Chintapandu Naveen Kumar, alias Teenmaar Mallanna, who contested as an independent candidate and finished second in the MLC election held two years ago.
On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has left no stone unturned to secure a victory in this MLC seat by fielding senior leader Gujjula Premender Reddy, who was actively involved in the separate State movement and also in the student union movements. BJP leaders are confident of winning the seat, citing the youth’s support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Premender Reddy’s clean image. Premender Reddy secured fourth place in the 2021 polls as a BJP candidate.
However, a graduate voter from Hanamkonda remarked that graduate voters would not be swayed by cheap promises made by parties or candidates. Since this is an election related exclusively to the graduates, they would prefer to see a well-educated person going to the Council. The BRS tried to rake up this sentiment projecting its candidate Rakesh Reddy as a graduate from the prestigious BITS-Pilani and with work experience in the USA.
Mallanna’s claim to fame has been his critical comments on the BRS government in the last five years and attack on K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s family through his YouTube channel. Whether his appeal this time will work in the absence of the KCR government is to be seen. Congress being strong in Khammam, Nalgonda and Warangal will be an advantage he will enjoy. BJP nominee Premender Reddy is purely depending on the increasing craze for the BJP among youngsters.
Unlike the previous MLC election, there is not much money involved this time and graduates are likely to make their choice consciously rather than depending on their political affiliations. About 4.63 lakh graduates are eligible to vote in this constituency, and there are 52 candidates in the fray.
Interestingly, the main candidates were once all members of the BJP. Rakesh Reddy quit the BJP to join the BRS just before the Assembly elections after he was denied a ticket from the Warangal constituency. Mallanna also left the BJP to join Congress just before the Assembly polls.
