Hyderabad: The Congress appears to have gained ground in Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency after it announced the candidature of Danam Nagendar, who holds a record of getting elected as MLA six times from the city.
Nagender is taking on BJP's G. Kishan Reddy, Union minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet and TS BJP chief, and BRS candidate T. Padma Rao Goud, a strong BC leader, who won the Secunderabad Assembly segment in 2004, 2014, 2018 and 2023.
On the ground, the fight seems to be clearly between national parties as people feel that as a regional party the BRS has no role in this electoin, more so after it lost power to Congress in Assembly polls in December 2023.
Kishan Reddy was demonstrating his political supremacy in Secunderabad until the Congress fielded Nagender. Various surveys pointed out that Kishan Reddy's voteshare was 10 per cent higher when compared with his rivals but it narrowed down to just 1 to 2 per cent after Nagender entered the field. The Congress hopes that Nagender will continue the momentum by polling day on May 13.
While Kishan Reddy is relying on Prime Minister Modi's charisma and on his own position as Union minister, Nagender is banking on Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's popularity and Congress government's performance in implementing five out of Six Guarantees within 100 days of coming to power.
Kishan Reddy has pinned his hopes on the support of upper castes and migrants from other states while Nagender is banking on the support of BCs, SCs, STs and minorities. Revanth Reddy's aggressive campaign that if the BJP comes to power for a third term, it will amend Constitution and abolish reservations for BCs, SCs and STs created a lot of impact on these sections who are rallying behind Congress to protect their reservations.
Nagender achieved a hat-trick in the Asifnagar Assembly seat by winning in 1994, 1999 and 2004. After the delimitation of constituencies, Nagender shifted to Khairatabad and won in 2009, 2018 and 2023.
The Secunderabad seat holds 'sentimental value' as the party that wins this seat comes to power at the Centre.
When Congress candidate Anjan Kumar Yadav won this seat in 2004 and 2009, the Congress-led UPA government came to power at the Centre. When BJP candidate Badaru Dattatreya won this seat in 2014 and BJP candidate Kishan Reddy in 2019, the BJP-led NDA government came to power at the Centre.
Congress now hopes that Nagender will win this seat this time and Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc government will come to power at the Centre.
