‘Pajjanna’ poised for another term; Jaya sudha entry may queer the pitch

Hyderabad: The Secunderabad Assembly constituency is likely to throw an interesting battle in the ensuing election as strong Telangana warrior T Padma Rao Goud (Pajjanna) is facing a candidate from glamour industry in the form of Jayasudha who is expected to get a ticket from the BJP.

Secunderabad is also known as Lashkar (Army) by virtue of having the Cantonment area. Traditionally, the fight has been between the Congress and the BRS. This time the BJP is trying to wrest the seat with a glamour touch. Cosmopolitan culture is visible in the constituency with employees of various Central departments, including the railway, residing in the area. Areas in Secunderabad segment include Addagutta, Boudhanagar, Mettuguda, Sitaphalmandi, Tarnaka, Parsigutta and Tukaramgate.

The pink party has retained Deputy Speaker Padma Rao Goud; he is aspiring for the third consecutive term. Elected in 2004 on TRS ticket, he has consolidated his place in the constituency and has become a strong force to reckon with by winning in 2014 and 2018. Even during the BJP wave in the GHMC elections, he ensured victory of five out of five candidates in his constituency showing his might.

Along with Jayasudha, former Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy is trying for ticket from the segment. Similarly, Mekala Sarangapani who contested as BJP candidate and secured over 18,000 votes, has joined the race in seeking the ticket.

There is a competition within the Congress as several leaders have thrown their hat on the ring. According to party leaders, Adam Santosh Kumar, Nomula Prakash Rao Goud, who joined from BRS, are aspirants. Another leader, an industrialist N Sai Baba, has shown keen interest to contest as Congress candidate.

The locals in the constituency say their MLA has been taking good care of them solving long pending problems. Old issues like setting up degree and junior colleges which had been pending for decades were achieved by him. The multi-purpose function hall, Setwin centre for skill development for youth are the talking points in this segment.

G Suraj, who runs a business in the constituency said, “Pajjanna is a down-to- earth person; his services to the middle class and the poor during the pandemic were remarkable.” The biggest plus is he does not entertain corruption and got sanctioned many LOCs for medical emergencies.

It would be interesting to see how voters takes the election; whether they would go with their leader or get attracted towards glamour.