Telangana Lok Sabha

Telangana is heading for an intense three-cornered fight in the majority of the 17 Lok Sabha seats on May 13.

Five months after coming to power in this southern state, the Congress is facing a stiff challenge from the BRS and the BJP.

Barring 3-4 seats where one party appears to have an edge, it will be a close triangular contest in the remaining constituencies.

While the Congress is looking to repeat its impressive performance of the assembly elections held in November 2023, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to put up a good show in Telangana, the second key state for the party in South India after Karnataka.

Where do the three parties stand?

Despite losing power to the Congress after ruling the state for 10 years and a series of setbacks with several key leaders defecting to the BJP and Congress, the BRS looks strong on the ground.

The party appears to be recovering from its loss, if one goes by the huge crowds during party president and former chief minister KC Rao’s bus yatra.

The BJP appears to be sitting pretty in three out of four seats it won in 2019 and is locked in a tight fight with the Congress and BRS in at least four constituencies.

Banking on the prime minister Narendra Modi factor, the saffron party has set a target of 10 seats.

PM Modi, union home minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, and other leaders have campaigned extensively.

The Congress party looks ahead of its rivals in five constituencies and is facing a tough challenge in other constituencies.

The BRS, which lost five of its sitting MPs to the two rivals during the last couple of months, seems to have an edge in a couple of constituencies.

Interestingly, both the Congress and BJP have gained from the exodus of leaders from the BRS during the last few weeks.

Candidate dynamics

A sitting MP, a sitting MLA, daughter of a sitting MLA are among the Lok Sabha contestants for the Congress.

Similarly, the BJP has fielded a sitting MP and son of sitting MP as its candidates after they defected from the BRS.

Former MPs and former state Legislators of BRS also figure in the list of candidates of the Congress and BRS both.

While the BJP retained three of its four sitting MPs, the Congress had to look for new faces as all three MPs who won in 2019 were elected to the Assembly.

A Revanth Reddy, who was elected from Malkajgiri constituency in the previous election, has become the chief minister.

Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, who were elected from Nalgonda and Bhongir respectively, have become ministers.

The trio is now making all efforts to ensure that the party retains these seats.

There was some high drama in the run-up to nominations. Kadiam Kaviya, who was named as candidate from Warangal Lok Sabha seat by the BRS, withdrew from the contest to join the Congress along with her father and sitting BRS MLA Kadiam Srihari.

Key battles

Among key contestants, union minister and state BJP chief G Kishan Reddy is seeking re-election from Secunderabad. He is locked in a three-cornered contest involving BRS MLA T Padma Goud and Congress candidate D Nagender.

In the recent assembly elections, Nagender was elected on a BRS ticket from Khairatabad constituency but he defected to the Congress to secure the MP ticket.

BJP national general secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who is fighting from Karimnagar for a second-consecutive term, faces a tough contest from BRS candidate Vinod Kumar.

The Congress party has fielded V Rajender Rao. In Mahabubnagar, it will be a repeat of the 2019 battle. The BJP’s national vice president DK Aruna, who had finished runner-up in the previous election, is again taking on sitting MP Manne Srinivas Reddy of BRS.

In Malkajgiri, which is India’s biggest constituency, BJP’s Eatala Rajender is locked in a tough fight against Sunitha Reddy of the Congress party and R Lakshma Reddy of BRS.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi, who is seeking re-election for fifth-consecutive term from Hyderabad, faces BJP’s Madhavi Latha in what is likely to be a direct flight. The Congress party has fielded Sameer Waliullah from here.

(This story was taken from a syndicated feed, and edited only for style by Gujarat Samachar Digital staff)