Medak LS seat to witness triangular contest in by-polls

The Medak Lok Sabha constituency is all set to witness a triangular contest between the TRS, Congress and BJP for the by-elections scheduled to be held on September 13.

While TRS fielded Sony Travels chairman Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, Congress nominated former minister Sunitha Lakshma Reddy as its candidate for the by-elections to Medak Lok Sabha seat. Similarly, the BJP fielded former Congress leader Toorpu Jayaprakash Reddy alias Jagga Reddy as its candidate. While Prabhakar Reddy was preferred over TNGOs President Devi Prasad, Sunitha's choice was almost unanimous. The BJP picked Jagga Reddy among three candidates including Anji Reddy and Kasineni Gnaneshwar.

The TRS candidate, Prabhakar Reddy, is new to the politics although he owns a transport company. He is quite certain of his victory in the by-elections due to the dominance of TRS in the entire Medak district. TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao had won the seat with a whopping majority of 397,029 votes, the highest in undivided Andhra Pradesh. He had secured 657,492 votes while nearest rival, Dr P. Shravan Kumar Reddy of Congress polled 260,463 and BJP nominee C Narendranath had got 181,804 votes. The TRS is confident of a repeat of general elections in the by-polls. All seven Assembly segments falling under Medak Lok Sabha seat were won by TRS. While Chief Minister KCR himself represents Gajwel, Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao was elected from Siddipet, Padma Devender Reddy from Medak, Ch Madhan Reddy from Narsapur, Chinta Prabhakar from Sangareddy, Gundam Mahipal Reddy from Patencheru and Ramalinga Reddy from Dubbaka Assembly constituency.

Therefore, the TRS has an edge over Congress and BJP in the by-elections.

On the other side, Congress is confident of Sunitha Lakshma Reddy's victory due to several factors. She had represented Narasapur Assembly segment earlier and still enjoys a strong hold in the Medak district. Likewise, Jagga Reddy is considered a strongman of Sangareddy. However, his opposition to formation of Telangana during the statehood movement may go against him.

In this scenario, the TRS will try to retain its position and the Congress would make all efforts to regain its lost ground. The BJP too will try hard to prove that its last-minute gamble of nominating Jagga Reddy was a right decision. Political analysts say that the Medak Lok Sabha by-elections would be an interesting contest with long-term impact on the politics of Telangana.