With leaders divided, political fever yet to turn hot in Chevella

Rangareddy: Hardly over a month is left for the Lok Sabha elections in State. All three big political players such as the Congress, BRS and BJP are planning to seek a mandate. However, no political fervour is set in motion, specially in Chevella, a Lok Sabha constituency located on the southern part of the Hyderabad that covers the entire Ranga Reddy district.

While the BJP camp is witnessing lack of enthusiasm, the BRS cadre is facing a moral decline due to the debacle they faced in the recent Assembly elections. Even the Congress is found failing to take advantage of the situation due to groupism in party in several constituencies in the LS segment.

The Chevella LS segment consist of seven of the eight Assembly constituencies in Ranga Reddy district, including Rajendranagar, Maheshwaram, Chevella, Serilingampally, Tandur, Pargi and Vikarabad.

With 66.8% literacy rate, the Chevella segment is considered fastest developing enclave in the south after the State capital where urban voters surpass rural electors. The number of urban electors are 13,90,131 accounting for 56.9%, while rural voters are 10,52,981, with a ratio of nearly 43.1%, as per the 2011 Census.

Muslim voters play a decisive role in Chevella segment with nearly 375,397 voters forming 15.5% vote share. The SC voters constitute 14.1% of the population with 344,479 electors. Similarly, STs account for 5.5% with 134,371 voters.

During the recent elections, the BRS managed to win four of the seven Assembly segments in Chevella LS constituency. They include Rajendranagar, Maheshwaram, Serilingampally and Chevella. However, the Congress gained in Pargi, Vikarabad and Tandur. This time the contest is visible between two major stake-holders such as the Congress and the BJP, while the BRS has been swept under the carpet after the recent poll debacle.

While Dr. Ranjit Reddy (BRS) is the sitting member and is likely to contest again, the Congress and the BJP too began discussing the chances of wresting the seat. However, no party has named the candidates so far. They are said to be busy in squaring-off the situation before drawing battle lines.

While the Congress is upbeat over the recent victory that helped it gain power in the State, the BRS leaders and cadre are completely demoralised after the recent defeat.

Even though the term of gram panchayats was completed on February 1 leaving the posts of sarpanch and ward members vacant till the elections, probably after the LS hustling, no political fever is seen heating up among the local leaders of parties and the cadre. The leaders are largely confined to meetings at residences or farm houses away from the public.

While ex-MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy has confined himself to some public and social gatherings – as he is generally fond of being part of such programmes away from frenzied politics, Dr. Ranjit Reddy too is found active only on X (twitter) until now.

Unhappy with how political leaders hoodwinked voters in Chevella, N Mahender of Moinabad said, “no promises made by successive government were fulfilled during the last nine years in the segment. All we can say we were fooled by believing leaders who seldom offer any relief or solution to issues faced by voters.”

Barring some party meetings mainly by the BRS and the BJP in the segment, that too at specific locations, no ground campaigning is seen anywhere, especially by the Congress. One mutest areas in campaigning is the Rajendranagar constituency where a weak Congress leadership is found facing difficulty in making ground against the BRS that still enjoys powerful support despite losing power.

Despite ruling the State level, a weak Congress leadership in Rajendranagar constituency is failing to take advantage of the situation and is stilling languishing in groupism. No leader is strong enough to get fragments into frame and built a strong base for the party.

“The Congress high command needs to introduce a suitable face of the party in Rajendranagar to bring back its lost glory in the constituency. This will help built a strong party base and prepare for the LS elections in Chevella segment,” said a senior leader on condition of anonymity.