As the upcoming graduates' constituencies elections in the state draw closer, Telangana's political parties have all begun to ready themselves for the same.
With the terms of the sitting MLCs Ramachandra Rao of the BJP and Palla Rajeshwar Reddy of the TRS of the Mahabubnagar-Hyderabad-Rangareddy and Warangal-Nalgonda-Khammam constituencies respectively coming to an end this March, the TRS too has plunged itself into preparations for the upcoming elections.
The party seems heavily invested in winning the Hyderabad constituency, which it had repeatedly failed to clinch in the 2007, 2009 and 2015 elections, so much so that TRS working president K T Rama Rao even held a meeting with key party leaders on the matter.
At the meeting, Rao directed the leaders to work hard to win the elections, and asked them to coordinate with local leaders for the campaign for the same. He also asked them to base the campaign for the elections on the development programs being offered by the TRS-led state government.
The ruling party is reportedly especially keen on winning both the seats this year to put a stop to the
BJP's growing power in the state.
Though the party is yet to officially announce its candidates for the elections, it is likely that Palla Rajeshwar Reddy will contest for the Warangal-Nalgonda-Khammam seat this year as well. Reports say that he has even been involved in holding several preparatory meetings with the party cadre for the last few weeks.
The fight for the Warangal-Nalgonda-Khammam seat is likely to be a tough one as it has many contenders, including TJS founder Kodandaram and Inti Party head Cheruku Sudhakar, vying for the post.
The competition for the Mahabubnagar-Hyderabad-Rangareddy seat will also be intense. The contenders for the seat include prominent public figures like Hyderabad Mayor Bonthu Rammohan and Telangana State Education Welfare Infrastructure Development Corporation Chairman Nagender Goud.
The State Election Commission is likely to announce the updated voters' list for the two constituencies soon. Reportedly, the list for the Warangal constituency, which has around 5 lakh voters, will be released on January 18, while the list for the Hyderabad segment, with about 4.48 lakh voters, will be released on January 22.