Farmers Movement Archive

KCR’s devpt mantra helped TRS win Sagar bypoll: Analysts

HYDERABAD: Nomula Bhagat of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi has won the Nagarjuna Sagar Assembly constituency with over 18,000 votes. It is a majority which is higher than what his father Nomula Narsimhaiah got in 2018 and K Jana Reddy of the Congress polled in 2014 elections. Political analysts attributed the victory to several factors important among them being the charisma and credibility enjoyed by TRS president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao among the voters, the ongoing welfare schemes of the TRS government, the development mantra chanted by KCR, his council of ministers and party leaders in the two public meetings of the CM and during campaigning. Also, KCR in his two public meetings sanctioned hundreds of crores of irrigation and other projects to Nagarjuna Sagar constituency and Nalgonda district and went to the extent of promising that he would not seek votes in 2023 assembly elections if TRS government fails to complete Nellikal lift irrigation project. And that the TRS, if voted to power again, would show what real development is. Despite K Jana Reddy of the Congress being a formidable candidate and tipped to win the bypoll initially, the wave turned in favour of the TRS as the polling day approached. KCR’s strategic move in fielding Bhagat, son of deceased MLA Nomula Narsimhaiah, whose death necessitated the bypoll, and he being a Yadav candidate from BC community which comprises largest percentage of voters in the constituency, too worked in favour of the TRS candidate. Another main factor is that the BJP lacked its aggressive campaign in Nagarjuna Sagar which it displayed in Dubbak and GHMC elections. The BJP candidate failed to cut into the vote bank of the TRS. Political analyst professor K Nageshwar said that though there was discontent against the ruling TRS, it was only among some sections of the people. This discontent was manageable and TRS managed it. “It was the BJP which failed to cash in on this discontent. There were doubts in the minds of people about BJP and TRS having soft corner for each other with KCR going silent on farm laws. The suspicion strengthened when BJP leaders urged TRS not to field its candidate from Lingojiguda and TRS working president readily agreed,” Nageshwar said. All the TRS ministers including G Jagadish Reddy, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Vemula Prashant reddy, Koppula Eshwar, V Srinivas Goud and Nomula Bhagat credited the victory to the voters’ trust in KCR and welfare schemes. Bhagat dedicated his victory to KCR. The BJP and Congress leaders alleged that the TRS not only spent huge money and liquor but also threatened voters that the welfare schemes would be discontinued if TRS loses. Jana Reddy’s challenge to KCR not to campaign also had a negative impact on his poll prospects. “In Dubbak, people wanted to give a pinch to KCR who was not giving time to his ministers to meet him, and they did. After the dismal performance in graduate MLC polls and now in Nagarjuna Sagar, both BJP and Congress need to pick a new narrative to connect with the voters,” said political observers.

The Times of India

2021-05-03

Hyderabad