Telangana: Congress crumbles in its once stronghold Mahabubabad Lok Sabha constituency

HYDERABAD: Politics of reservation will play it big in the ST-reserved Mahabubabad Lok Sabha constituency . Six of the seven Assembly segments in the seat are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

Leading to the polls, Congress has promised to enhance ST reservations from the present six per cent to 10 per cent, a vow initially made by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao which remains unfulfilled.

The Congress also promised to ensure the setting up of the Bayyaram steel plant, as provided in the State Reoganisation Act. "While the KCR-led TRS failed to do it, the Congreess will enhance reservations to tribals proportionate to their population. This will be achieved on the lines of the Modi government announcing 10% reservations for EBCs by crossing the 50% cap on quota fixed by the Supreme Court," TPCC president N Uttam Kumar said.

Having won four of the seven Assembly segments in December-2018, this is the only Lok Sabha seat where the Congress had an edge over the TRS. However, the equations have changed since. Two of the four Congress MLAs switched to the TRS in last three weeks. Pinapaka MLA Rega Kantha Rao and Yellandu legislator B Hari Priya Naik have announced that they will be joining the TRS.

Also, in-fighting has been brewing in the Congress after it named ex-union minister Balram Naik as its candidate. Followers of Bellaiah Naik have threatened to work against Balram. The AICC leadership is trying to douse the fire and has invited Bellaiah to Delhi and convince him to extend his cooperation to the party nominee.

TRS president KCR has denied ticket to sitting MP Seetaram Naik and gave it to Maloth Kavitha, the second woman candidate fielded by TRS in the Lok Sabha election fray, after KCR's daughter K Kavitha, who is seeking re-election from Nizamabad. KCR finalised Maloth Kavitha's candidature based on surveys in the constituency and also feedback from the party MLAs and leaders in the constituency.

Kavitha has promised to work towards getting national status for Medaram Jatara, one of the biggest tribal congregation of the country, and also work to ensure that the steel factory at Bayyaram is set up, in addition to solving other problems being faced by STs.

While the BJP has named J Hussain Naik as its candidate, Pawan Kalyan 's Jana Sena too is entering the fray here. The CPI is likely to announce its candidate in a day or two with March 25 being the last date for submission of nominations.