Telangana: BJP-Congress siege KCR, will the CM be defeated in his own stronghold?

In Telangana, BJP and Congress have fielded strong candidates against KCR. It is clear from the attitude of both the parties that they are in no mood to give any kind of walkover to KCR. However, it will be known only after the election results how effective this strategy of BJP and Congress was against KCR.

CM Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR), who is trying to become the Chief Minister for the third consecutive time after winning the battle of Telangana Assembly elections, is trying his luck from two seats this time. KCR will file nomination from Kamredi and Gajwel seats on Thursday. BJP and Congress have made a strategy to corner KCR on his own seat, for this they have created a political maze by fielding their veteran and strong leader against the Chief Minister.

Congress has announced to field its state president Revanth Reddy from the Comrade seat against KCR. At the same time, BJP has fielded KCR's one-time assistant and former minister Itala Rajender as its candidate for Gajwel seat. Itala Rajender is the president of Telangana Election Management Committee of BJP. In this way, the opposition has played a big gamble by fielding strong candidates against KCR on both the seats. However, both Revanth Reddy and Itala Rajender are contesting from their respective constituencies as well.

Former minister Rajender, along with contesting against CM KCR from Gajwel seat, is also contesting from Huzurabad seat. He has won elections from Huzurabad seat several times and even after joining BJP from BRS in 2021, he became MLA in the by-election. This time, the way BJP has fielded him against the Chief Minister in Huzurabad as well as Gajwel seat, one thing is clear that the party is in no mood to give a walkover to KCR.

Strategy to corner KCR

Veteran Congress leader and state president Revanth Reddy filed his nomination papers from Kodangal on Monday. He has been the TDP MLA from this seat in 2009 and 2014. In 2018, he lost to BRS as a Congress candidate. After becoming the state president of Congress, the party has announced to contest elections from Kodangal seat as well as Kamredi assembly seat. In such a situation, Congress has tried to corner KCR by fielding a strong candidate. The way Congress has dealt with the Left, it may create problems for KCR.

Till now Shabbir has been contesting from Congress on Kodangal seat, but this time Revanth Reddy has been fielded in his place. Congress has a strategy behind fielding Revanth Reddy in place of Shabbir in front of KCR. It is believed that KCR was not getting the benefit of being a Muslim candidate. That is why Shabbir was continuously losing elections since 2009, due to which this time Congress made a change and made a bet by fielding a strong candidate.

How effective will this strategy be?

BJP has fielded a strong candidate like Itala Rajender against KCR in Gajwel seat, due to which Congress too was under pressure to field a strong candidate. That is why Congress has made a move to field Revanth Reddy from his traditional seat as well as against KCR. It remains to be seen how effective the strategy of Congress and BJP to corner KCR proves to be.