Congress makes graduate MLC elections a prestige battle
The party takes the lead by naming the candidates much ahead of BRS and BJP and voter enrolment has emerged as a key component of the strategy
The Congress has treated the upcoming Graduate MLC elections in Telangana as a high-stakes contest, perceiving the results as an indicator of public opinion towards the Revanth Reddy administration. Covering 77 Assembly segments, or about two-thirds of the State’s 119 constituencies, the elections offer the ruling party a chance to showcase its performance and discourage the Opposition from exploiting the results to undermine its standing.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, whose Mahabubnagar district falls within the Mahabubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad Graduate MLC constituency, is especially focused on the elections. A win would bolster the Congress’s political standing, whereas a loss might provide the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (BRS) with an opening to interpret the outcome as evidence of public discontent with the government.
The Congress has already selected its candidates: Sama Rammohan Reddy for the Mahabubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad constituency and Ramreddy Sarvotham Reddy for the Warangal-Nalgonda-Khammam constituency. The elections are also anticipated to gauge the organizational capabilities of Congress MLAs in the six erstwhile districts encompassed by the two constituencies.
Given the significant financial aspect of graduate MLC elections, the ruling party is employing every feasible tactic in a contest where resources, voter engagement, and mobilization can sway the outcome. Voter registration has become a crucial element of the strategy, with the party encouraging leaders to leverage online registration systems.
Sama Rammohan Reddy, speaking to The Hindu, revealed that he has been disseminating voter-registration links through social media channels to stimulate voter enrolment. Party leaders are convinced that the ease of online registration has not resulted in sufficient participation, hence necessitating personal outreach to eligible voters.
The BRS has indicated its commitment, with party working president K. T. Rama Rao holding discussions with leaders from the affected districts. The BJP, too, is eager to reinforce its position following its victory in two MLC seats last year. It is particularly interested in the Hyderabad-Ranga Reddy-Mahabubnagar seat, which was previously held by current State President N. Ramchander Rao.
The Congress Pradesh Committee (PCC) has orchestrated a coordinated campaign, convening preparatory meetings. District-level ministers have commenced consultations with party members. Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has been managing the affairs of the erstwhile Warangal district, while Damodar Rajanarsimha convened a meeting with leaders from the erstwhile Palamuru district.
Revanth Reddy and PCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud are set to convene with MPs, MLAs, ministers, and constituency-level leaders from the six districts on October 23 to finalize the campaign strategy.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
