Close Contest on Cards in High-profile Kondangal Constituency

Hyderabad: After Gajwel and Kamareddy, where Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is contesting the Assembly elections, the Kondangal constituency is the cynosure of all eyes as Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A Revanth Reddy and BRS sitting MLA Patnam Narender Reddy are contesting from this high-profile constituency.

While the ruling party is making every attempt to retain the seat, the Congress is leaving no stone unturned to emerge victorious at any cost this time and regain its past glory. While Revanth Reddy won the seat twice in 2009 and 2014, Narender Reddy won the seat in the 2018 Assembly elections defeating Revanth Reddy by a margin of 9319 votes.

As both the BRS and the Congress are battling to win the seat, the mood of the voters in the constituency indicate that it’s going to be a close contest between the Congress and BRS candidates who are wooing voters with their poll promises.

The BRS candidate is trying to gain the confidence of voters with the 24-hour free supply to the agricultural sector and drinking water to households apart from Rythu Bandhu, Asara pensions and Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes.

However, the Congress candidate is relying on Six Guarantees including ‘Maha Lakshmi’ and ‘Rythu Bharosa’ announced by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi apart from highlighting irregularities in construction of projects especially irrigation projects since 2014 in the state.

When voters’ attention was drawn towards the alleged remarks of Revanth Reddy on three-hour power supply to the sector, most of them did not respond. They, however, said sufficient power supply was required to meet the agriculture requirements as Kondangal comprises rain-fed areas and still a majority of farmers draw water through underground borewells.

The BJP, however, is lagging behind in the contest. Political observers said that the women and youth would decide the fate of the winning candidate in the constituency. The Kondangal constituency consists of a total 236789 voters including 117303 male voters and 119310 female voters and young voters 10,272. There is an increase of 2007 women voters in the constituency.

The youth were annoyed with the ruling party for failing to provide proper jobs to them even after 10 years after the formation of Telangana state. One of the main reasons for Telangana agitation was jobs (neeyamakalu), but the BRS government failed to provide jobs to the eligible candidates, said a youth V Sachin from Peddanandigama hamlet in Kondangal.

Given the voters mood, a nail-biting finish with less margin to the winning candidate is expected on the counting day on December 3.

Total voters: 236789

Male voters: 117303

Female voters: 119310

Transgender: 12

Voters’ quotes

“What happened to job promises of the ruling party? Why is it not filling up the vacancies in various government departments?” asks a youth V Ganesh Peddanandigama hamlet in Kondagal

“We are enjoying the benefits extended by the government. But we will wait till the last moment of the election and decide to whom we have to extend our support,” says a housewife Shantamma from Kommuru in Kondangal

“This time we want to see a change and give a chance to another party as BRS is ruling the state for the last 10 years,” says a fruit vendor Shamantha from Kosgi in Kodangal