Qutbullapur already in election mode?

Qutubullapur: A heated political atmosphere is beginning to wrap Qutubullapur constituency in frenzy with the 2019 assembly elections drawing closer.

From holding exit polls among their internal party cadre to choose candidates for the big fight to analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition, parties are leaving no stones unturned to put forth their best men in the race to strengthen their foothold in the area.

A part of the erstwhile Medchal constituency which once contained the highest number of voters, Qutubullapur held its first election in 2009 and has ever since been a strong playing field for the Kuna community.

If all goes well, the Kunas, who traditionally hail from dairy-farm business families, are yet to lock horns in the big power showdown betting on their political presence in Qutubullapur. From senior Congress leader K M Prathap Goud to MLA KP Vivekanand, the Kuna clan has always retained power in the constituency in varying capacities with people too having accepted their leadership for several years.

The power lineage started with K M Prathap Goud, who had worked as a Congress party leader for nearly 30 years in which he was appointed as the Rangareddy District Congress Committee President not just once but thrice in his political career.

Prathap played a critical role in decision making for the party's working in the area. With even the senior Congress cadre extending full support, the Qutubullapur leader was the main man who chose who would join the party and who wouldn't. Such was his political charisma in the region!

But Kuna Srisailam Goud, who was an ardent follower of former Chief Minister YS Rajashekar Reddy was confident of winning the Congress ticket in the constituency to contest for the 2009 elections, given his political connections with the Chief Minister.

Aware that he won't stand a chance in the competition for Qutubullapur party ticket with Rajashekar Reddy in power, Prathap who had been waiting for this opportunity for years was successful in getting his name recommended by the high command in Delhi. A disappointed Srisailam, on the internal advice of his political guru YSR, made a dramatic entry in the elections as a rebel candidate against Prathap.

It was at the same time when the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, announced that they would back Kuna Pandu Goud's son K P Vivekanand as their MLA candidate. The situation intensified within Congress with the party's candidates standing one against another in the election but this amused the TRS party cadre who saw their chance of winning the elections broaden.

Despite all the election campaigns of the candidates, Kuna Srisailam Goud, who gained popularity as the Chairman of Police Housing, emerged successful in the 2009 elections crushing Prathap.

Unable to accept the loss, KP Vivekanand shifted allegiance to TDP. Assessing his strength in the area, he was given the party ticket to contest as its MLA candidate in Qutubullapur for the 2014 elections. On the other hand, Congress and TRS chose to field its ground with Srisailam Goud and K Hanumanth Reddy respectively for the big battle.

Each of the candidates was confident of winning given their political history but to everyone's surprise, K P Vivekanand was successful in drawing a large number of votes, with the support of voters settled from other regions of Andhra in Qutubullapur. But as soon as he realised the potential of TRS in the state administration, the MLA took a U-turn into the party and remained its loyal leader ever since.

Following the suite, even MP Malla Reddy shifted allegiance to TRS raising several eyebrows in political circles. Talks are on that Malla Reddy is also weighing options to field his close aides as his political heir for the MLA ticket Now, will Vivekanand be able to repeat history as a TRS leader?

Can the ruling party strengthen their foothold in Qutubullapur before the big battle? In the race between TRS and TDP, will Congress be able to win the voters' hearts? Who will Qutubullapur people choose as their next leader?