Ahead of urban local body polls, BJP candidate's death sparks tension in Telangana

Hyderabad: As Telangana gears up for polls to several local bodies on Wednesday, the alleged suicide of a BJP candidate contesting from a ward in Makthal Municipality, Narayanpet district, has sparked tension across the state on Tuesday. It is learnt that election authorities had postponed the polling in the ward.

BJP workers attempted to stage a protest at the Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) office in Hyderabad over the incident. The candidate, identified as Yerrukala Mahadevappa set to run for councilor from Ward 6 in Makthal Municipality died by alleged suicide on Tuesday, just a day before the scheduled elections.

Police prevented BJP workers from forcing their way into the DGP office. Following Mahadevappa's death, Telangana BJP accused Congress leaders of harassing him. Local police registered a case of suspicious death under BNSS Section 194, as there was no suicide note.

BJP State President N Ramchander Rao, who rushed to Makthal, alleged that Mahadevappa, a son of the tribal community, took this extreme step because he could not bear the harassment by local Congress leaders under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's direction.

Reports suggest that after the success of a BJP rally in Makthal during the municipal elections, ruling Congress leaders resorted to threatening the BJP candidate over the phone. Mahadevappa committed suicide because he could not withstand this mafia politics and arrogant attitudes, he alleged.

The BJP chief demanded that the state government conduct an impartial inquiry, vowing that the party will fight until justice is served to Mahadevappa’s family.

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and Rajya Sabha member Dr K Laxman raised Mahadevappa's suicide in Parliament. They demanded stern action against those responsible. In a Lok Sabha statement, Kishan Reddy held the Congress government in Telangana responsible for the circumstances leading to the tragedy.

He strongly condemned the intimidation politics in Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's home district. Dr K Laxman said Rahul Gandhi, who always carries the Constitution book, should react to this incident. It was unfortunate that Congress leaders intimidated and coerced an Adivasi to commit suicide for politics, Laxman added.

The BJP state chief, who reached Makthal, consoled the bereaved family and spoke with locals and party workers to gather full details. Later, addressing the media, Rao said Mahadevappa’s wife clearly stated her husband was confident of winning the election.

However, she revealed that ruling party leaders harassed and intimidated them, instilling constant fear. She explicitly mentioned that her husband took his life due to pressure from local Congress leaders, Rao added.

BJP leaders claimed that police at the local station altered the FIR, taking advantage of Mahadevappa’s uneducated wife. They appeared to have obtained her signature and registered a false FIR by changing details without her knowledge.