TRS, BJP search for strong candidates to win TS Congress chief Uttam’s stronghold
Hyderabad: The by-election in the Huzurnagar Assembly constituency is a prestigious issue for the main political parties, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, all of whom are searching for strong and rich candidates.
The by-election has been necessitated by TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy resigning the seat after he was elected Member of Parliament from Nalgonda.
The Huzurnagar by-election is expected in the last week of October or in November. The constituency is the stronghold of the Congress party and Uttam Kumar Reddy won thrice from here. With the party greatly weakened in the state, the TRS and BJP are planning to muscle in and win the seat.
According to political circles, in a by-election each candidate has to spend a minimum of Rs 20 crore and maybe even Rs 30-40 crore depending on the strength of the rival parties. The TRS and BJP have no financial problems because the TRS is in power in the state since 2014 and the BJP-led NDA is in power at the centre since 2014. But these parties don’t have strong candidates.
The Congress on the other hand has no problem with fielding candidates but it has financial problems having been out of power in the state and at the centre. With the party coffers not in good shape, candidates contesting the assembly, Lok Sabha, Panchayat and MPTC and ZPTC elections had to spend their own money.
The TRS leadership has asked MLC Gutta Sukhendar Reddy to contest from Huzurnagar, but Mr Reddy was not interested in the Lok Sabha or Assembly elections and told the TRS leadership to give MLC ticket that too in Assembly quota.
It’s candidate in the last assembly elections, Saidireddy, an NRI, was defeated by Uttam Kumar Reddy by more than 7,000 votes. The TRS may give the ticket to Saidireddy again, or to Palla Rajeswar Reddy. The BJP does not have a presence in Huzur-nagar and in the recent assembly elections, its candidate got 1,500 votes.
The BJP hopes that the Modi wave in the country will help it win. It is trying to field Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy’s wife Lakshmi Reddy. The Congress’s central leadership will accept whoever is recommended by TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy.
He asked former minister K. Jana Reddy to contest, but the latter turned him down. Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy is considering fielding his wife Padmavathi or TPCC treasurer and his close associate, Gudur Naraya-nareddy. Sources said that at one time Uttam Kumar Reddy thought to field realtor and businessman Dayakar Reddy as the Hazurnagar candidate.
