Campaign for the Palair Assembly byelection in Telangana drew to a close today after a fifteen- day high-decibel electioneering by TRS, Congress-TDP-YSRC combine and the left. The polling will be held on May 16. On behalf of the ruling TRS, Municipal minister KT Ramarao led the campaign in his unique style,while the Congress’ by PCC president N Uttamkumar Reddy and others.
TRS pursued a two pronged strategy to wrest the seat from Congress- weaning away important leaders from the rival parties which would weaken the morale of the party workers and then hurling a challenge at the rivals that he would resign from the cabinet if ruling party is defeated. This is a difficult proposition to accept for the opponents. This type challenge not only enthuses the party workers and it would help convince the undecided voters to swing in favor of the “winning” TRS candidate. KTR has replicated the model in Palair, which he employed successfully in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections in February.
KTR sought to create a favorable wind by his ubiquitous presence, strong candidate (Tummala Nageswar Rao), defections from Congress and YSRC. This is necessary because any break in the winning streak of the TRS would be interpreted as the end of euphoria and beginning of anti-establishment by opposition parties.
On the other side, Congress, has also forcefully presented its case before the people that chief minister KCR was trying to discontinue all the projects started by Congress only to get commissions from the new projects. Congress sought to build its campaign on the sympathy factor working for Ramreddy Venkatareddy family in the constituency. The election is necessitated by the sudden death of Reddy. The support from TDP and YSR Congress has electrified the Congress campaign in the byelection.
TDP’s working president Revanth Reddy and local YSR leaders joined Congress for a joint campaign presenting rare spectacle which pitted TDP and Congress on side and TRS on the other.
The presence of Left candidate in the fray is a setback for Congress candidate Sucharita Reddy because CPM is sure to create a split in the anti-TRS vote. The victory for any of the opposition candidates in Palair will be a turning point in the Telangana politics,hence the unprecedented curiosity on the byelection.
