The strict rules framed by Election Commission to ensure peaceful conduct of elections have offered a big chance for rivals to embarrass Congress Telangana president Revanth Reddy ahead of December 7 election. Revanth’s call to his supporters to obstruct CM Chandrasekhara Rao’s election meeting is now cited as the main reason for his preventive arrest. Even Chief Electoral Officer Rajath Kumar has given the same reason on record.

The Congress leaders and Revanth’s wife Gita are arguing he might have been placed under house arrest but such decisions are upto the discretion of the officials who are in charge of the situation concerned. Bandh call and protests at the height of electioneering are something never seen or heard before in any election so far. A senior leader like Revanth has issued such calls for which the reasons are obvious considering enormous stress that TRS has given him by getting police searches made in Congress activists’ houses in his assembly constituency Kodangal limits.

All said and done, the ruling TRS has fully utilised the situation and made sure Revanth is subjected to unforeseen preventive action. Congress senior leader S. Jaipal Reddy asked whether KCR would keep silent if his daughter’s bedroom is raided in a similar manner. Revanth’s wife is daughter of Jaipal’s brother. During election time, the authorities do not take any chances which may be the reason why they have broken open the doors and forcibly took away Revanth. The officials have decided to keep location of Revanth a secret may be till the completion of KCR’s meeting after which he is of course to be released.

Congress leaders allege the arrest denied a right to campaigning for Revanth. It may be correct but there is also a hidden benefit of all-round media attention for hours together exclusively on Revanth’s arrest.

G.Ravikiran