Overcoming the efforts of Congress-TDP combine to piggy ride the support of sizeable voters settled from the Seemandhra regions in the four constituencies in the city – Serilingampally, Kukatpally, Qutbullapur and Jubilee Hills – Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has emerged victorious in all four seats with a multi-pronged strategy in this year’s election.
Focus on Kukatpally
By defeating Nandamuri Suhasini, a family member of the Nandamuri clan who contested from Kukatpally known as the bastion of one of a socially and economically dominating community from Andhra region, the TRS has proved more than a point in the electoral game. Although TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has campaigned in many constituencies in the city, the party’s focus was on Kukatpally with AP Minister Paritala Sunitha and several other leaders camped in the constituency till completion of electioneering.
Apart from seeking the support of beneficiaries of welfare schemes such as social security pensions, Kalyana Lakshmi/Shaadi Mubarak and others, the TRS poll managers have adopted a strategy particularly to woo the communities that are traditionally opposed to the ruling community in AP.
Accordingly, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s son K.T. Rama Rao directly contacted who’s who of the two communities by organising meetings in the name of ‘Hamara Hyderabad’, where he successfully drove home the point that Mr. Naidu was trying to divide the Seemandhra society settled in Hyderabad.
Mr. Naidu’s efforts to polarise the electorate by making allegations against TRS that the latter had terrorised Seemandhra settlers during the GHMC elections to win 99 out of 150 divisions was also not well-received by the settlers. The TRS leadership on the other hand, repeatedly appealed to settlers not to fall into the trap of Mr. Naidu and they were as much Hyderabadis as others settled in the city from other parts of Telangana and neighbouring States.
The TRS leadership also explained to the electorate as to how the government did not discriminate in extending the welfare schemes on basis of nativity/region.
Beneficiaries of schemes
“We have supported (voted) TRS as our family has been getting welfare schemes such as sufficient rice on ration cards and old-age pensions,” Shamshad Begum, working as a maid in Kukatpally area said when asked why they had supported TRS.
The YSR Congress and Jana Sena Party, which are identified with two influential communities in Seemandhra regions, have also extended support to the TRS indirectly to ensure big win for the TRS candidates.
“We are fed up with the domination of the ruling community across AP and accordingly, our community leaders have decided to support TRS to teach a lesson to the TDP in Telangana for now.
The message to support TRS was spread through social media tools such as Whatsapp effectively,” K. Veera Reddy, a native of Tadipatri area settled in Hyderabad for over 25 years now said, explaining how they supported TRS in this election.
