Massive setback to Congress in Munugode

HYDERABAD: As the political situation heats up and leaders of various parties scramble for the crucial byelection, nearly half of the Congress’ sarpanches and MPTCs in Munugode Assembly constituency have joined the TRS.

The Congress had 32 MPTCs and 57 sarpanches, out of a total of 71 MPTCs and 159 sarpanches in Munugode. The TRS won the most seats in the 2019 local bodies elections — TRS won 38 MPTCs and 88 sarpanchs. Independents and Left parties could win one MPTC and 14 sarpanch seats.

The Congress, which had been very strong at the grassroots level in Munugode until recently, suffered a major setback when its MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy resigned from the party as well as his MLA post to join the BJP, forcing a bypoll in Munugode. However, Rajgopal Reddy was unable to persuade Congress MPTCs and sarpanches to join the BJP alongside him. Not even a dozen MPTCs and sarpanches have joined the BJP from the Congress so far.

Energy minister G. Jagadish Reddy, who is in charge of the Munugode byelection for the TRS, has increased his efforts to bring the remaining Congress leaders into the party fold. The TRS leadership believes that inducting Congress local leaders will boost the TRS' chances in the byelection.

Jagadish Reddy told Deccan Chronicle that the new joinings from the Congress and the Left parties’ support would ensure an easier victory for the TRS.

"Our surveys clearly indicated that TRS will win with a clear majority while Congress will stand second and BJP third in Munugode bypoll. BJP leaders and Rajgopal Reddy are just creating hype in media and social media by spending crores of rupees but the ground situation is entirely different, which everyone will come to know once the bypoll results are declared."