Poll heat gathers momentum in Maheshwaram

 Hyderabad: Poll heat has intensified in Maheshwaram Assembly constituency with the Income-Tax department conducting raids on the residences and offices of local Congress leaders, including those of its candidate Kichannagari Laxma Reddy and Badangpet mayor Parijatha Narasimha Reddy, who was also expecting the party ticket.

After the ticket was allotted to Laxma Reddy, the mayor’s husband Narasimha Reddy, also a Congress leader, held a public meeting in Balapur with their cadre. The couple has not resigned from Congress and has not disclosed any future course of action.

“They are still hoping that the Congress will give B- form to one of them,” said a source in the party.

The BRS is fielding education minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy while BJP has nominated Andela Sri Ramulu Yadav.

Meanwhile, former Hyderabad mayor Teegala Krishna Reddy is a local and has a strong cadre in the segment. He contested on the BRS (then TRS) ticket in 2018 and lost to Sabitha Indra Reddy, who contested on a Congress ticket.

The constituency has 5.17 lakh voters and 511 polling stations. The returning officer (RO) has sent a proposal to the Ranga Reddy district election authority seeking 32 auxiliary polling stations as the number of electors is expected to increase in the final electoral rolls.

This constituency has a good Muslim population. Jalpally municipality that falls in the constituency is headed by AIMIM’s Abdullah Saadi, chairman of the municipality.

Two GHMC wards, Saroornagar and RK Puram, are also a part of Maheshwaram constituency. Saroornagar BJP corporator Akula Srivani made a vain bid for the BJP ticket.

Constituency-Maheshwaram:

Number of electors: 5.17 lakh

Number of polling stations: 511 (32 auxiliary proposed but yet to be approved)

Candidates:

BRS: P Sabitha Indra Reddy

Congress: Kichannagari Laxma Reddy

BJP: Andela Sri Ramulu Yadav