As the countdown to the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections enters its final week, the political landscape in Northern Telangana is witnessing a fierce battle between the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) claimed silent wave appears to be dissipating, and the Congress is rapidly gaining ground in BRS pockets.
Several assembly seats once considered strongholds are now emerging as swing seats, with local issues set to play a crucial role in shaping the preferences of the electorate.
The fate of the two primary contenders hinges on the crucial Hyderabad region, and the pivotal swing seats where the electoral fortunes of the BRS and Congress will be decided. Recognising the significance of these seats, both parties are attuned to the sway of undecided voters and acknowledge the critical role that the final week of campaigning plays. In a bid to secure every possible vote, both political entities are sparing no effort in their pursuit of electoral success.
We are all excited and going all out in the final week. We are very confident but can’t leave anything to chance,” said Srinivas, a grassroots worker for Balka Suman, the BRS big gun, who is receiving a huge response, especially from women, in Chennur constituency.
Till a couple of days back, the sitting MLA, Suman was sitting pretty in Chennur, an SC constituency in Mancherial district. But the seat is fast turning out to be a tight contest. “When I was first elected in 2014, there were no roads. Now everywhere you can see BT (bitumen) roads and CC (cement-concrete) roads. We are also building an international-standard auditorium, the Kala Barathi, at a cost of Rs 50 crore. People have seen the developmental works and I am very confident,” said Suman, who is on his last lap of area visits. However, former MP G Vivekanand, who returned to the Congress this month along with his son Vamsi, is fast turning out to be a formidable opponent.
As the pitch for the November 30 battle intensifies, the strategic battlegrounds in different regions and the undecided swing seats are poised to determine the overall stakes in this tightly-contested electoral race.
The electoral dynamics are particularly intriguing in the 10 districts comprising Northern Telangana, namely Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Nirmal, Jagtial, Mancherial, Nizamabad, Peddapalli, Karimnagar, Rajanna Siricilla and Kamareddy. With 32 constituencies up for grabs, this region plays a pivotal role in determining the overall outcome of the election.
Historically, the BRS has had a strong hold in the erstwhile Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar districts, winning 28 out of 32 seats in the previous election.
However, the Congress managed to clinch three seats, with one going to Korukanti Chandar of the All India Forward Bloc, who is now a BRS candidate.
Notable victories for the Congress include Atram Sakku in the Asifabad ST-reserved seat, Jajala Surender in Yellareddy, and Sridhar Babu in Manthani. But in 10 to 15 seats, fortunes may turn for the sitting MLA.
While agriculture dominates the economic landscape of these districts, the political scenario is far from static. In at least eight constituencies, the BRS faces a challenge as the narrow margin of victories achieved in 2018 may not be sufficient to ward off a resurgent Congress.
The northern region, fed by the Godavari River and its tributary Manjira, boasts agriculturally developed districts. Nizamabad and Adilabad are known for their farm economies, while the former Karimnagar district, now including Jagtial, Peddapalli and Rajanna Siricilla, has seen industrial development alongside agriculture.
Beedi rolling, a household industry, contributes significantly to economic activity among women in Nizamabad. Moreover, efforts are under way to promote palm oil cultivation as an alternative to sugarcane and paddy, with Nirmal, Nizamabad and Kamareddy expected to account for one-third of Telangana’s total palm oil plantations in the coming years.
The national turmeric board recently announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has injected a new dimension into the political discourse. Telangana, being the largest producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric in the country, has seen this issue take centre stage, at least in these districts.
However, scepticism lingers among some regarding the effectiveness of the board in supporting small and marginal farmers. Nearly 50,000 farmers grow turmeric in the districts of Nizamabad, Nirmal and Jagtial.
The significance of the turmeric issue was underscored in the 2019 general election when Kalvakuntla Kavitha, the daughter of BRS founder and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, lost in Nizamabad.
Although not a predominant concern state-wide, agricultural issues, particularly the perceived shortcomings of the Dharani portal in addressing farmers’ problems, are anticipated to exert influence. The portal, a key component of the BRS land reforms agenda, aimed to assist farmers in the distribution of the Rythu Bandhu scheme to beneficiaries.
While the BJP vowed to eliminate the portal, the Congress proposed a superior alternative with a different name. “If the Congress comes to power, both Dharani and Rythu Bandhu will be scrapped. And farmers will get power only for three hours. It is my responsibility to warn you,” Rao said last week at public meetings in Adilabad, Boath and Nizamabad.
No one said we will give power for only three hours. We will give free power 24×7. KCR (as the chief minister is known) is just spreading lies,” retorted Congress stalwart Revanth Reddy.
In the assembly segments of Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar, the outcomes of the 2018 assembly polls and the 2019 parliamentary election revealed divergent trends.
The Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency, where BRS had triumphed in all seven assembly seats in 2018, elected a BJP MP. In neighbouring Nizamabad, the BRS had clinched all seven assembly seats in 2018, only to witness the party’s then-incumbent MP, K Kavitha, lose to the BJP in 2019.
However with the BJP experiencing a rapid decline, several of these assembly seats are evolving into swing seats, with local issues poised to sway voters’ decisions. The intricate interplay of regional concerns and political dynamics is steering these constituencies into a critical juncture.
As the political temperature rises, all eyes are on the November 30 polls, where the fate of Northern Telangana hangs in the balance. The results will be declared on December 3.