Jaago Voter…Choose Your Leader: BRS still firmly in driver’s seat

♦ Prakash Goud, a three-time MLA, aims to win the seat for the fourth time

♦ Rajendranagar falls under the Chevella Lok Sabha segment with 4.5 lakh voters

♦ Prakash Goud has maintained a strong base since 2009, winning under different party affiliations

♦ Congress and AIMIM pose challenges, with AIMIM securing over 20 percent of the votes

Hyderabad: The BRS is sitting strong in the Rajendranagar Assembly Constituency in the city where the three-time MLA Prakash Goud is aspiring to make it fourth time with his popularity in the constituency.

The Rajendranagar Assembly constituency falls under the Chevella Lok Sabha segment with over 4.5 lakh voters. The ruling party MLA Prakash Goud has been maintaining his strong base in the constituency as he has been winning the elections since 2009. He was elected MLA on TDP ticket in 2009 and again in alliance with BJP in 2014. Later, he joined the TRS and again maintained his winning streak with a hattrick of victories in 2018. The incumbent MLA is now aspiring to win for the fourth consecutive time. The Congress has given a tough fight in the constituency and the AIMIM has shown its presence by securing over 20 per cent votes in the constituency by virtue of a strong Muslim minority vote bank.

The constituency has many national institutions including the agriculture and allied sectors and also has the Prof Kothapalli Jayashankar Agriculture University and also the Veterinary University. Inspite of having two reservoirs such as Osmansagar and Himayatsagar, the people of the constituency face the problem of drinking water as they are made to purchase water for everyday use. Besides this, the unfulfilled promise of double bedroom houses, mosquito menace, the issue of GO 111 are the cause of concern for the ruling party candidate.

While there is a problem of plenty in the ruling party, with leaders like Chevella MP G Ranjith Reddy and Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy’s son Karthik Reddy aspiring to contest from the constituency, there is lack of strong leadership in the opposition camp which makes the contest easy for the incumbent. Ranjith Reddy has expressed his desire to contest as MLA and Karthik Reddy had some following in the constituency with his mother being the MLA from Chevella in the past.

Two leaders from the Congress party have been aspiring for a ticket. While Gnaneshwar Mudiraj has been continuing to give a fight by being the runner up in different elections, MungiJaipal Reddy is also trying for a ticket. The leaders feel that the anti-incumbency against the government as well as on the MLA will benefit them.

Thokala Srinivas Reddy, who was once the follower of Prakash Goud, joined BJP and it is most likely that he would be given the ticket. Thokala Srinivas Reddy, who secured over 13,000 votes as All India Forward Bloc candidate in the past, is presently a corporator from BJP. The MIM, which has a strong presence in Old City has been looking to expand and trying hard to clinch this seat during the last few occasions. There are a sizable number of minority voters in five divisions in the constituency.

List of candidates contesting this election