WARANGAL: Two strong leaders will sink the ship of one ruling party leader — this is what the Congress party might have thought when TDP leader Danasari Anasuya or Seethakka as she is famously known, joined the Congress earlier this year. She was expected to strengthen the party in the Mulugu Assembly segment along with longtime Congress party member Podem Veeraiah.
However, the current situation turned against the Congress with both leaders demanding the ticket to contest from the constituency. They have even started their door to door campaigns.
Both contested the 2014 elections and lost to Azmeera Chandulal who went on to become the tourism minister.
Of the 79.29 per cent votes polled in Mulugu constituency, Seethakka from the TD secured 25.81 per cent votes and Podem Veeraiah from the Congress, 27.43 per cent. TRS’s Chandulal beat them both with a vote share of 38.16 per cent.
Today Seethakka and Veeraiah share the same Congress umbrella. Given the current situation in the constituency, either of the leaders is capable of defeating the opponent. Both belong to the adivasi community which has a majority of the vote share here.
Of the 15 times elections were held in Mulugu constituency, the Congress won seven times, the TDP four times, the PDS twice, the TRS once and an independent candidate in one instance.
Chandulal won from the constituency, first in 1985 and then in 1994 as the TDP candidate. Podem Veeraiah was chosen by the people twice in 1999 and 2004, from the Congress. Seethakka won from this constituency as a TDP candidate in 2009.
People of the constituency are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the Congress party to declare its candidate. It is also interesting to see how the party is going to convince the other after denying one the ticket.
