Recovering from illness, KCR will kickstart BRS campaign with a rally at Husnabad on 15 Oct; will release party manifesto the same day.
Telangana Chief Minister and BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao. (Supplied)
The ruling BRS in Telangana is marching ahead of its rivals with Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao planning a campaign blitzkrieg for the 30 November election to the state legislative Assembly.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao released the first list of election in-charges for 54 Assembly segments. The list was released two days ahead of KCR formally launching the poll campaign.
A cursory look at the first list itself revealed the party’s intention to prevent anything from going awry not only in high-profile constituencies, but in others as well. The leadership is aware that it has to combat the anti-incumbency factor by effectively communicating with the voters since the party is aiming for a hat-trick.
Releasing the list on Thursday, 12 October, Rama Rao — or KTR as he is popularly known — said that the responsibility of in-charges will be to connect with the people who are beneficiaries of the welfare schemes and explain the BRS’s plans for them, if re-elected.
Since Chief Minister KCR will be contesting from two constituencies — Gajwel and Kamaraeddy — the party’s priority is to ensure a landslide victory for him in both segments.
Accordingly, the party leadership has appointed the party’s troubleshooter, Finance Minister T Harish Rao, MLC Yadava Reddy, and Telangana State Forest Development Corporation (TSFDC) chairman Vanteru Pratap Reddy as in-charges of Gajwel to ensure that the party machinery would function like a well-oiled unit.
At Kamareddy, IT and Industry Minister KTR, MLC Seri Subhash Reddy, and the sitting MLA who “sacrificed” his seat for KCR, Gampa Govardhan, would ensure a smooth and successful campaigning.
MLC K Kavitha, being readied for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is in charge of the Nizamabad Urban Assembly segment where sitting MLA Beegala Ganesh Gupta is in the fray.
KTR’s constituency Sircilla did not figure in the first list.
Former MP and one of tge BRS’s most articulate leaders, B Vinod Kumar, will take care of the responsibilities of Vemulawada, where KCR is fielding Chelmeda Lakshmi Narasimha Rao, replacing sitting MLA Ch Ramesh, who is facing citizenship-related issues.
Peddapalli MP Borlakunta Venkatesh Netha will help Durgam Chinnaiah in the Bellampally SC Assembly segment while MP Gaddam Ranjith Reddy will look after two Assembly segments, Chevella and Vikarabad, where Kale Yadaiah and Methuku Anand are in the fray.
Nagarkurnool MP P Ramulu is in charge of Kollapur, where B Harshavardhan Reddy is seeking the mandate. Rajya Sabha member Badugula Lingaiah Yadav will take care of the Nakrekal (SC) segment where BRS is fielding sitting MLA Chirumathi Lingaiah.
In Khammam district MP Nama Naageswara Rao is in charge of the Wyra (ST) segment. Former MLA Banoth Madanlal is in BRS candidate here. Rajya Sabha member B Parthasarthy Reddy will look after Sathupalli where the party is fielding Sandra Venkata Veeraiah.
Apart from KTR and Harish, other ministers too have also been given the responsibilities of various constituencies. Tribal Welfare Minister Satyanvathy Rathod will take care of Mahabubabad (ST) where Banoth Shankar Naik is the party candidate, while Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar will look after the BRS’s interests in Madhira, where the party has fieled L Kamalraj.
Animal Husbandry Minister T Srinivasa Yadav will help G Lasya Nandita in Secunderabad Cantonment while BC Welfare Minister Gangula Kamalakar will be in charge of Choppadandi (SC), where the sitting MLA, Sunke Ravi Shankar, is seeking another term. The party has also roped in MLCs, chairpersons of corporations, and other important leaders to lead the campaign at the constituency level.
According to political observers, the positions as in-charges is also intended to quell dissent. The list also sent out a signal that those who felt “wronged” or those who wanted to grow in the party would be rewarded if they put in all efforts in favour of the party.
For instance, by making MLA Gampa Govardhan the leader in charge for Kamareddy, the party has made it clear to him that he could expect a handsome sinecure.
The party has already released the campaign schedule of the chief minister. He will kickstart the campaign with a public meeting at Husnabad on Sunday, 15 October. The same day he would release the party’s manifesto and distribute B forms to party candidates.
The chief minister will address close to 40 public meetings till 9 November, the day on which he will file his nomination papers for the Kamareddy and Gajwel constituencies.
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