Secunderabad: Congress MP in straight fight with BJP veteran

Secunderabad: Growing public anger over poor civic amenities will reflect on the outcome of the Lok Sabha election in Secunderabad constituency where sitting MP M Anjan Kumar Yadav of Congress is locked in a straight fight with former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya of the BJP.

Secunderabad, with 18.93 lakh voters, is one of the two parliamentary constituencies in Telangana region where a highest of 30 candidates are in the fray and where the statehood "sentiment" does not work.

Anjan, who was elected an MP from Secunderabad for two consecutive terms since 2004, has been facing strong anti-incumbency because of the "gross neglect" in ensuring better civic infrastructure.

People are also unhappy with him because he is "inaccessible".

Anjan, however, denies being inaccessible. "I am not only the most accessible MP but also fully utilised the MP's Local Area Development Scheme funds. I spent Rs 20 crore from MPLADS on 350 works in the last five years," he claims.

But the sorry state of roads and drains point otherwise.

Even 'posh' localities like Jubilee Hills that fall under Secunderabad LS constituency can't boast of good roads while much worse is the scene in "middle class" areas like Musheerabad, Amberpet, Nampalli.

Aam Aadmi Party candidate and former IAS officer M Chaya Ratan notes that the constituency was grossly neglected and there was no "development" worth the name.

"People are still struggling to get even clean drinking water," she pointed out.

Dattatreya, who represented Secunderabad in 1991, 1998 and 1999, recalls that as the Union Minister of State for Railways he got the Multi-Modal Transit System to the city.

"Subsequently, the MMTS phase-2 did not move an inch forward. This has compounded the traffic woes of the citizens. My priority will be to get MMTS-2 completed," Dattatreya said.

Telugu Desam Party's support and the "Modi wave" have strengthened the BJP veteran's chances as he looks to enjoy a certain edge over the incumbent.

For the first time, the Majlis put up its candidate N Mohan Rao in Secunderabad, primarily to target Anjan who rubbed it on the wrong side.

Being a complete urban constituency, Secunderabad has a majority of "non-Telangana" voters and the Telangana statehood factor does not come into play here. That makes the TRS' chances bleak.

A split in votes is also expected as the Jai Samaikyaandhra Party of former Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and the YSR Congress are fighting the election on an anti-Telangana plank.

AAP's Chaya Ratan too exudes confidence of making a mark, if not winning, as she sees "a lot of awareness" among people about her outfit.

"There is a strong anti-corruption sentiment and people are very supportive to us. AAP is committed to transparency and the cause of the people," the former Special Chief Secretary noted.

"I am glad I entered politics. We need to raise our voice to see that we get basic amenities and opportunities on an equal footing," Chaya added.