Hyderabad: The Patancheru Assembly constituency finds itself at the centre of a storm. The Congress camp faced a temporary upheaval when the ticket promised to Neelam Madhu Mudhiraj was allotted to senior leader Kata Srinivas Goud.
This prompted Mudhiraj to shift allegiances to the BSP within hours, injecting a new dynamic into the electoral narrative. Congress has won Patancheru twice in the last six polls and pinning hopes on Goud's popularity and the support of former deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarasimha.
The competition for the ticket was so fierce supporters of Mudhiraj held protests at Gandhi Bhavan while those with Goud threatened to march to TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy's house.
On the other side, BJP candidate Nandeshwar Goud and his supporters exude confidence, fuelled in part by the anticipation of substantial support from migrants belonging to Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, living in the constituency.
"They constitute around one lakh voters. The rest of the support will come from those who saw the developmental activities when Nandeshwar was MLA," a supporter said.
Amidst these shifts, BRS MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy is eyeing a hat-trick. Backed by a loyal cadre, Reddy's supporters express unwavering confidence in his leadership.
"The lack of double bedrooms and development are just lies fabricated by the opposition. But the locals have seen the developments," said a young confident supporter.
In a unique twist, the contest features about 20 independents, who are mostly employees of stone-crushing units, currently on strike. "We hope one of us wins, but even if we don't, we hope the MLA will remember our cause," said Babu G, son of a worker who, including his colleagues, has been on strike for about 260+ days now.
