Smooth sailing for TRS in Medak

Medak: Curtains have been rung down on the campaign for the Medak Lok Sabha inTelangana and Nandigama Assembly by-polls in Andhra Pradesh. While it is a foregone conclusion that the TRS would have smooth sailing in Medak with BJP-TDP combine and the Congress competing for the runner-up position, the TDP has clear edge over the Congress party in Nandigama Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. Polling in both seats will be held on Saturday.

In Medak, the by-election was caused by the resignation of K Chandrasekhr Rao, who retained his Gajwel Assembly seat after becoming the Chief Minister. He had wonm the Medak Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 3.90 lakh votes.

In Telangna all the parties had adopted various methods of campaigning, including door-to-door contact, but the TRS was way ahead of others and covered almost all the villages in the seven Assembly segments of the Parliamentary constituency. While the local leaders concentrated on villages, the top leaders including ministers addressed public meetings at mandal headquarters.

Among those who had taken up vigorous campaign for the TRS were the party candidate K Prabhakar Reddy, Deputy Chief Ministers T Rajaiah and Md Mohamood Ali, Home Minister N Narsimha Reddy, Finance Minister E Rajendra, T Harish Rao and Pocharam Srinivas Reddy.

As the campaign ended on Thursday, it is clear that Telangana sentiment continues to hold its sway over the electorate and the general mood among the people is that only TRS can steer the new state on the path of development. People openly expressed their confidence that KCR would fulfil every promise he had made during the elections.

Voters here feel that Telangana being a new state, the government should be given sufficient time to implement the poll promises, including the loan waiver scheme.

There are problems like erratic power supply but then the new government should be given time people seemed to feel. The youth too want to give some more time for the Chief Minister to implement the promise of creating jobs. But at the same time they are of the opinion that the state should maintain cordial relations with the Centre if it were to get more funds.

KCR’s plea that the government was in the process of cleaning the mess it had inherited from the previous government and would start implementing its promises from October seemed to have gone well with the people who were willing to oblige him.

The BJP which has been aiming to cut into the TRS vote bank fielded former Sangareddy MLA T Jagga Reddy.

The state unit drafted Union Ministers like Prakash Javdekar and Sadananda Gowda for the campaign. They tried to explain that it was the BJP which had forced the UPA to bifurcate the state. The BJP leaders sought votes seeking to strengthen Modi government for the speedy development of TS. Though it was said that film actor Pawan Kalyan would campaign, he was not to be seen anywhere. The BJP also got good support from the rank and file of the TDP. All top leaders of both the BJP and the TDP camped in the constituency and took up door-to-door campaign.

But the minus point for Jagga Reddy is the united Andhra stance he had adopted before the bifurcation of the state. The TRS has successfully exploited this aspect.

The Congress party which had fielded former minister Sunitha Laxma Reddy failed to take up a high voltage campaign. The division in the Congress ranks had further weakened her position. No national leader was deputed to guide the state unit. The only AICC leader who was in the constituency throughout was party general secretary Ramachandra Khuntia. The election campaign was signed off with a massive rally which was attended by kCR in Medak.