BJP's K Sridhar Reddy dreams of slaying Tummala the giant in his bastion

Palair (Khammam): “I will be called a giant killer after the elections.” This is the confidence exuded by the BJP candidate for Palair and party state secretary, Kondapalli Sridhar Reddy. Minister for roads and buildings, Tummala Nageswara Rao, is contesting from Palair as the TRS candidate. He won the last by-elections by a margin of 44,000 votes. 

What is Sridhar Reddy’s strategy and the reason for his confidence in defeating such a stalwart in the elections?  “The anti-incumbancy against the government and Tummala is enough for me. There is lot of resentment among the people of Palair against the policies of KCR. It includes the style and arrogance of the minister and failure of his schemes,” Mr Sridhar said. 

Mr Sridhar has been working in Palair for the last two years and has appointed booth committees in all 265 polling booths. 
The members of these committees are called Namo workers. These workers have started campaigning for Mr Sridhar in the villages. The TRS considers the Bhaktha Ramadas irrigation project as a flagship project to get votes. 

Mr Sridhar says, “The Bhaktha Ramadas project is a failure. The Palair reservoir water was being diverted to Turumalayapalem at the cost of other areas. Not a single TMC of the new waters came to the Palair reservoir. Instead, five TMC of Palair water were allocated to Mission Bhagiratha. This is enough to defeat Tummala in Palair”. 

The people have understood the gimmicks of the government and will teach the government a lesson in the elections. There is massive appreciation for Narendra Modi’s policies among the youth, Mr Sridhar added. 

Mr Sridhar added, “It is not just one section that feels cheated by caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, but everyone. There are 32,000 Lambada voters in the segment and all of them are against the TRS government. The people are openly criticising the 2BHK scheme.” 

Being a law graduate, Sridhar has evolved a plan for campaigning and visits two to three villages daily. Before his visit, members of the polling booth committees explain the BJP’s policies to the people there.