Swords unsheathed as KCR, Revanth Reddy battle for Kamareddy in T'gana

Kamareddy: The bustling business centre of Kamareddy is set to witness an epic electoral battle as Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Telangana Congress president A Revanth Reddy are set to lock horns on November 30.

Kamareddy was a Congress bastion for years until the emergence of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). It eventually swung in favour of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which is now rechristened as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

After the TDP lost its relevance in Telangana, following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, its strongman, Gampa Govardhan, a leader from the Backward Classes (BC) in Kamareddy, switched to the BRS and won twice from the seat since 2014.

The BRS has steadily been losing the confidence of farmers in this region following its ambitious “development” strategy for Kamareddy town. This proposal had angered the farmers, who feared their agricultural lands would either be snatched away or they would lose value. After fierce protests by farmers across the state, the government halted the process.

Migration to the Gulf

Another area where the BRS has been facing scepticism among the youth is employment opportunities. In the initial years, the BRS seemed to have started on the right foot by promising to create a conducive ecosystem for generating employment opportunities after the new state was born and the KCR team formed the government.

But the honeymoon period did not last long, and youngsters began leaving for the Gulf countries in search of driving and construction work. The majority of migrants from Telangana who work in countries like the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain are from Kamareddy, Nizamabad and Karimnagar.

An outsider

Kamareddy is also an interesting segment to watch out for as it will be an “insider versus outsider” contest. While KCR has his roots in Kamareddy, as his maternal ancestors belong to Konapur in the region, Revanth is seen as an outsider by the locals. But a solid consolidation of Muslim and Reddy voters, who are in considerable numbers, could work in the Congress leader’s favour.

Muslims, Reddys, BC groups, Mudiraj and Munnuru Kapu, are numerically strong communities in Kamareddy. Senior Congress leader Mohammed Shabbir Ali, who had represented Kamareddy in the past, has a strong backing of Muslim voters, and this may help turn the tide in favour of Revanth. Similarly, the work of the sitting BRS MLA, Gampa Govardhan, a BC leader, on the ground may help KCR garner the votes of Mudiraj and Munnuru Kapus.

But anti-incumbency may play spoilsport.

Only a second option

But for both leaders, this segment is only a second option. As G Swamy, who works in a private college in Kamareddy, told DH, “I am sure both KCR and Reddy would dump the segment if either of them wins Kamareddy, which is only a second option as their priority is Gajwel and Kodangal, respectively.”

A BJP nominee is the third angle in this contest. K Venkata Ramana Reddy has been nurturing the segment and is also a popular face and known to be a ‘people’s man’ in Kamareddy. Whether he will make a difference or not, only time will tell.