Hyderabad, March 11 : With the campaigning for elections to two seats of the Telangana Legislative Council ending Friday, all the contestants were busy making their last bid attempts to woo over 10 lakh graduates who are eligible to cast their votes.
The campaigning reached a feverish pitch on Thursday as leaders of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and opposition BJP and Congress and independent candidates tried to reach out to voters in Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubnagar and Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda constituencies.
Key leaders of these parties and candidates addressed a series of meetings with graduates from various walks of life, seeking their support for Sunday’s polls.
Major contestants also tried to catch the attention of graduates through online campaign, highlighting what they propose to do and attacking their rivals.
The polls assumed significance in view of the recent victory of the BJP in the by-election to Dubbak Assembly seat and its impressive performance in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls.
Concerned over the emergence of the BJP as the main opposition, the TRS is going all out to retain Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda seat and wrest Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubnagar from the saffron party.
The TRS roped in all ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other elected representatives in 70 Assembly segments spread over the two constituencies to ensure the victory of its candidates.
The ruling party has once again fielded P. Rajeshwar Reddy from Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda while it has given ticket to former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao’s daughter Vani Devi in Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubnagar.
TRS Working President and cabinet minister K.T. Rama Rao himself is leading the party campaign. Addressing 3-4 meetings every day, he is highlighting the achievements of the TRS government during last six years, especially 1.32 lakh jobs provided in the government departments, and attacking the BJP for discriminating against Telangana and the Congress for its failures in the past.
Realising that a win in the MLC polls will brighten its prospects ahead of Assembly polls in 2023, BJP is running an intensive campaign in both the constituencies. Party’s central leader incharge of the state Tarun Chug addressed several meetings as part of the campaign.
The party also roped in Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ for a couple of meetings in Hyderabad where BJP’s N. Ramchander Rao is seeking re-election.
Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy, BJP state President Bandi Sanjay Kumar and other party leaders also participated in the campaign and targetted the TRS for its failures on various fronts during last six years.
The Congress is also making a determined effort to revive its fortunes in the state by wresting the two seats from the TRS and the BJP.
The party has fielded former minister G. Chinna Reddy from Hyderabad-Ranga Reddy-Mahabubnagar and former MLC S. Ramulu Naik from Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda.
Presence of candidates of various other parties and independents has made it a tough contest. In Hyderabad-Ranga Reddy-Mahabubnagar, Professor N. Nageshwar Rao is contesting as an independent candidate. He had represented the seat twice in the past and is considered popular among voters, whose numbers have doubled to 5.17 lakh since the previous election.
In all, 179 candidates have filed nominations for Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubnagar seat.
The entry of Professor M. Kodandaram of Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) in Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda has made the poll battle interesting.
Kodandaram had played an active role in Telangana statehood movement with Chandrasekhar Rao but parted ways after he was sidelined by the TRS following formation of Telangana as a separate state in 2014. A bitter critic of KCR’s policies, he floated the TJS.
A record number of 78 candidates, many of them independents, are in the fray for Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Graduates’ constituency.
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from IANS service.