Kutami allies’ friendly contest turns ugly Parties list aimed WHO Vs WHO CONG VS TJS at sabotaging rivals
The Mahakutami or grand alliance of opposition parties has become a messy kutami. Though they call it a “friendly contest”, the allies are fighting each other in some constituencies.
In some constituencies allotted to the Telangana Telugu Desam, or the Telangana Jana Samithi, the Congress has fielded its candidates.
The TJS has fielded candidates in constituencies allotted to the Congress and TD.
The TD was allotted 14 seats, the TJS, eight, the CPI, three, and the remaining 94 seats were for the Congress party.
But now the Congress is contesting in 100 Assembly constituencies. The TJS is contesting in about 13 Assembly constituencies.
By more than one party of the Mahakutami contesting in same constituencies, the main purpose of the alliance — which is not to split the anti-TRS vote — may be defeated. At the last minute the Congress has given B forms to six candidates in constituencies that were allotted to the TJS and TD.
The Ibrahimpatnam Assembly seat was allotted to the TD which announced Sama Rangareddy as its candidate. But the Congress has nominated former MLA Malreddy Rangareddy as the Ibrahimpatnam candidate. The Dubbaka assembly seat was allotted to the TJS, which announced Rajkumar as its candidate and gave him the B form.
But the Congress also gave the B form to its candidate M. Nageswara Reddy from Dubbaka.
The TD was allotted 14 seats and it has given B forms to 13 candidates. The TD has to decide one seat, and the choice is between Patancheruvu and Huzurabad. But the Congress has announced its candidates for both these constituencies. Kousik Reddy was given the B form as Huzurabad candidate and Kata Srinivas Goud was given the B form as its Patancheruvu candidate.
The Warangal East assembly seat was allotted to the TJS, which has given the B form to G. Innaiah, but the Congress has given the B form to its own candidate Gayatri Ravi.
The Miryalaguda assembly seat was allotted to the TJS, which gave the B form to Vidyadhar Reddy. The Congress sprang a surprise when it gave the ticket to former MLA, R. Krishnaiah for the same seat.
The Mahabubnagar assembly seat was allotted to the TD which announced former MLA Erra Sekhar as its candidate and he filed the nomination. But the TJS has fielded Rajendar Reddy as its candidate from this constituency and he was given the B form.
The TJS is also planning to field candidates in Asifabad and Station Ghanpur against Congress candidates.
■ Dubbaka, Miryalaguda and Warangal East
The TRS and the Congress wrapped up their final lists of candidates with strategies and counter strategies that left their own leaders as well as rivals and political circles surprised. Both parties tried to get the upper hand insofar as projecting themselves as champions of the backward classes was concerned.
The TRS gave the Kodada Assembly constituency ticket to TD rebel Bollam Mallaiah Yadav who joined the party just a day ago. TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy’s wife Padmavathi is the Congress candidate at Kodada.
In 2014, Mr Mallaiah Yadav contesting as a TD candidate was defeated by Ms Padmavathi by a margin of 13,404 votes. In seat-sharing talks, Nalgonda TD leaders asked the leadership to stake claim to Kodada as the party had better chances there.
But the Congress retained Kodada and Mr Mallaiah Yadav decided to contest as a rebel. The TRS then persuaded Mr Mallaiah Yadav to join the party, admitted him just one day ago and nominated him for the Kodada seat at the last minute With this, the TRS tally of BC leaders in the elections reached 26.
In a counter strategy, the Congress threw a surprise by nominating BC leaders R. Krishnaiah and Kasani Gyaneshwar in its final list.
In 2014, Mr Krishnaiah had won on a TD ticket from the LB Nagar Assembly constituency. At that time, party president N. Chandrababu Naidu had announced Mr Krishnaiah as the Chief Minister candidate. This time, both the Congress and the TD had ignored him.
After the TRS announced Mr Mallaiah Yadav as the Kodada candidate, the Congress decided to field Mr Krishnaiah, who belongs to the Yadava community, from Miryalaguda. After this, within minutes of Mr Krishnaiah joining it, the Congress named him as its Miryalaguda candidate.