TS Votes: Telangana will go to the polls on Thursday (November 30) to elect members to the state’s 119-member legislative assembly. Top national figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, and governing BRS supremo K Chandrasekar Rao, addressed a series of gatherings around the state as part of a high-decibel campaign.
On November 28, the election campaign came to a conclusion. The governing BRS has made every effort to complete a hat-trick, while the Congress, which has been on a winning streak since Karnataka, is also seeking power by promising voters its “six guarantees.” Meanwhile, the BJP is sticking to its pledge of electing a chief minister from the lower castes if it wins power. – TS Votes
A Revanth Reddy, the head of the state Congress, K Chandrashekar Rao, his minister-son KT Rama Rao, and members of the BJP Lok Sabha Bandi Sanjay Kumar and D Arvind are among the leading contenders.
After losing in 2018 and four years prior, when the previous UPA administration gave Telangana statehood, the Congress is fighting hard to win the polls. The BRS is eager to continue its winning streak that began in 2014. To become the first party to govern the southern state, the BJP is likewise not stopping at any costs. – TS Votes
The incumbent party has nominated candidates for all 119 seats. Per the seat-sharing pact, BJP and the Jana Sena, led by actor Pawan Kalyan, are competing in 111 and eight seats, respectively. In a collaborative effort, the Congress has allocated one seat to its ally CPI and is contesting in the remaining 118. Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM is actively participating with candidates in nine city segments. Interestingly, Mayawati, the leader of BSP, has been actively involved in election campaigning.
Congress
To challenge the chief minister in Kamareddy, the Congress has chosen state president Revanth Reddy. He is a member of the Lok Sabha and is running from Kodangal, which he previously represented.
Leading the charge is the Congress, with Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Reddy developing a complex and methodical campaign. It highlighted the six poll promises of the BRS administration, but its primary focus was on the alleged corruption of the government.
Throughout the campaign, the Congress also emphasized repeatedly that the BRS was the BJP’s “B-team” and that both parties had planned to work together to undermine the establishment party.
BRS
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, often referred to as KCR, is running from the Gajwel and Kamareddy sectors. In the assembly that is leaving, he is the representative for Gajwel. There are some fascinating contests going on in Gajwel and Kamareddy. In Kamareddy, the chief minister is competing against the charismatic Revanth Reddy.
During the campaign, KCR spoke at 96 public gatherings for the BRS, and his son KTR conducted a lot of campaigning as well. The Nizamabad MLC K Kavitha, his daughter, also ran a campaign for the party and her father.
The party’s campaign focused on the shortcomings of the previous Congress administration and the current administration’s continued support of farmers, women, and other societal groups. Rao also discussed his battle to make Telangana a state.
However, the National Dam Safety Authority had issued a negative report on the sinking of a barrage, which is a component of the Kaleshwaram irrigation project, much to the chagrin of the BRS administration; this had given the opposition ammunition.
BJP
Adding intrigue to the Kamareddy contest is the formidable BJP candidate, Venkata Ramana Reddy. Meanwhile, in Gajwel, the BJP has strategically placed its election campaign chairman, Eatala Rajender, to challenge KCR. It’s noteworthy that Rajender is also seeking re-election from Huzurabad, adding a dynamic layer to the electoral landscape.
In a robust campaign effort, Prime Minister Modi engaged in a three-day rally streak, captivating audiences in Kamareddy, Nirmal, Maheswaram, and Karimnagar. The state capital witnessed the grandeur of a massive roadshow orchestrated by Modi himself. Notably, he actively participated in a distinctive event, ‘BJP’s BC Atma Gourava Sabha’ (Backward Classes Self-Respect Meeting), and also graced a public gathering organized by the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS).
The prime minister had stated during the campaign that the Centre would soon establish a committee to explore all options for empowering the Madigas, a group within the SC, in connection to their demand that Scheduled Castes be classified.
As part of their campaign, the BJP pledged complimentary tours to the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Emphasizing the need for a “double engine government,” they underscored concerns about the purported “family rule” under KCR and raised allegations of corruption.
Participating in the campaign were a number of prominent BJP figures, including union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Nitin Gadkari; Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath; his Assam counterpart, Himanta Biswa Sarma; Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis; former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa; and Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai. BJP campaigned alongside Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Ratnavali