HYDERABAD: BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao's decision to contest from two seats (Gajwel and Kamareddy) in the upcoming Assembly polls has become a subject of a hot debate in political circles on Monday.
Rao initially tried to justify it saying that it was the 'party's decision' to make him contest from the two seats, which he had accepted. Later, he said, it was done on the request of the incumbent BRS Kamareddy MLA Gampa Goverdhan.
Whatever may be the reasons, a Chief Minister contesting election from Kamareddy and Gajwel, which he has been representing since 2014, raised doubts over whether Rao has lost ground in Gajwel and had hence opted for Kamareddy as a safer bet.
Soon after he became the Chief Minister in 2014 after winning from Gajwel, Rao laid special focus on its development. He constituted Gajwel Area Development Authority (GADA) with an IAS officer leading it for the last nine years for the speedy execution of development works. He spent nearly ₹1,000 crore on Gajwel’s development since assuming office. Gajwel was transformed; roads were widened, new roads and the ORR were laid, and it developed as an education hub after government schools and colleges were established there.
Despite all this, reports surfaced that Rao was facing rough weather in Gajwel and this was the reason for him to also opt for Kamareddy. The ruling party did not deny these reports fuelling further speculations. Meanwhile, the decision to contest from two seats has invited sharp reactions from opposition parties.
CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka said, "Rao contesting from two seats exposes his fear of losing in Gajwel. We are ready to fight the elections. He released the list early as he feared desertion by MLAs. We don’t have that fear and none will leave us. In fact, we will have many coming in."
Sridhar Babu said Rao's decision shows that he has lost confidence.
“He is contesting from two seats which are not far away from each other. This is not a national-level poll where you can contest from two seats to show you are giving equal importance to different regions. Only one family has progressed in the State”, he said.
Meanwhile, the BJP gleefully declared that Rao “has run away from Gajwel as he is certain of defeat from his constituency and is seeking shelter in Kamareddy.”
BJP state president G. Kishan Reddy said “The decision shows how insecure he is. A number of surveys that he had commissioned showed that he will lose in Gajwel and that he no longer has the support of the people in the constituency.”
Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar said “Rao is certain to lose not just in Gajwel but also from Kamareddy. His contesting from two seats won’t help him, just as his plan to rely on AIMIM support and minority votes in Kamareddy. This is a sign that the BRS is as good as finished in Telangana.”
Nizamabad MP Arvind Dharmapuri said “he has no stomach for an electoral fight with Etala Rajendar who had earlier challenged that he will contest from Gajwel. Rao’s decision to contest from two places is an insult to the people of Gajwel, who had elected him earlier, and shows he has no faith in people from his own constituency.”
