Ground Report: The Tripartite Struggle For Malkajgiri

How's the electoral battle playing out in Malkajgiri—the Lok Sabha constituency with the largest number of voters, which was represented by Revanth Reddy till he became chief minister of Telangana?

Consisting of seven assembly segments—Medchal, Malkajgiri, Quthbullapur, Kukatpally, Uppal, Lal Bahadur Nagar and Secunderabad Cantonment, the seat has some of the most well developed and urban parts of Hyderabad along with a number of semi-urban and rural areas.

As you must have understood by now from the headline of this piece, all the three big parties in the state, i.e., the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) are serious contenders for power here.

Amongst them, the BJP candidate, Eatala Rajender, is the most well-known because he is a former minister of finance and health in the BRS government and an important figure in the Telangana statehood movement. 

The Congress candidate, Patnam Sunitha Mahender Reddy, is the wife of former minister Patnam Mahender Reddy. Ragidi Laxma Reddy, the BRS candidate, recently joined the party from the Congress after he was refused a ticket.

Electoral Math Says It Has Been A Closely Contested Seat

The last two elections were closely fought contests.

While Revanth Reddy won by 10,919 votes in 2019, the BRS (then known as the TRS) finished second. The BJP finished third, securing a vote share of 19.47 per cent. The vote shares of the Congress and the BRS were 38.63 per cent and 37.93 per cent respectively.

The Jana Sena Party (JSP) led by Pawan Kalyan too contested the seat and secured around 28,000 votes, which amounted to a vote share of 1.82 per cent. 

This time the JSP and the BJP are in an alliance and these votes are expected to fall in the BJP’s kitty.

The 2014 contest was won by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with a vote share of 32.30 per cent. (The BJP and the TDP were alliance partners in 2014). The BRS finished second with 30.54 per cent. The third position was taken by the Congress, which secured 14.42 per cent.

What has changed this time is that the BJP is much stronger than 2019 and has a recognisable face in Rajender. The BRS, which finished second in the previous two elections has been considerably weakened.

Attending An Amit Shah Rally—BJP Members Say They Are Confident Of A Big Win

My visit began on the evening of 5 May when I attended a rally of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Parade Grounds near the Jubilee Bus Station (JBS). 

As I approached the venue, I could see that a large number of people were on their way to it. After a short while in the queue, I was able to enter the ground.

There were a lot of people who had come there but a number of chairs were empty as people preferred to sit on the grass in groups.

I first met Jajula Gowri, a former state secretary of the party, who had previously worked in the constituency. She said, “Rajender will win by a huge margin. He has done a lot of good work, especially during corona. He is a people’s leader. Also there is a lot of goodwill for the Modi government due to the schemes brought by it."

Neelender B from Marredpally, also a member of the party said that skill training for youngsters is the most important issue that needed to be addressed in the constituency.

As I went around taking photographs and listening to Shah’s speech, I spoke to Shankar Mekala, Dinesh and Sneha, who are all booth incharges in Kachavani Singaram village. They too exuded confidence that Rajender would win.

Calling the rally a huge success, Gopi Yeligeti, the BJP media cell convenor for the Medchal-Malkajgiri district said that the public is in favour of the BJP as they do not want to elect an alliance that does not have a prime ministerial candidate.

“We need Modi back as the Prime Minister as only he can ensure the safety and security of the nation, make India a Vishwaguru and make it the third largest economy in the world. If anybody else becomes the PM, they will take the country back by 30 years.”

Asked who he sees as the main competitor to the BJP in Malkajgiri, he said, “There is no competition. The result will be one sided as people have decided to vote for the lotus symbol.”

“What are the major issues here?”, I ask.

“People want an MP who will be visible to the public. Revanth Reddy was an absent MP. Eatala Rajender will not be like that. He will not disappear after elections.

“He is the first choice of the people. He has been living in this area for more than 20 years. One of the other candidates is a non-local. The other is a new face.”

Continuing further, he said that he expected Rajender to win by a large margin. “The voter turnout last time was 49-50 per cent. If it goes upto 60 per cent, we expect a margin of 5 lakh. Otherwise a minimum of 3 lakh.”

Other Parties Here Are 'ABC' of Appeasement Politics; Election To Make Modi As PM Again; 'RR Tax' Plaguing Telangana—Amit Shah's No Holds Barred Attack

In his speech, Shah’s pitch was clear—this is an election to make Modi as the Prime Minister for the third term and every vote for Rajender was for this purpose. 

Criticising the AIMIM, BRS and the Congress, he said that they are the ‘ABC of appeasement’ politics and that they were not comfortable with the idea of celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day. 

Further, he stated that the INDI alliance was an opportunistic alliance that did not have a PM face and said that the choice for the voter was to choose between an alliance led by the Congress which is known for its scams running into lakhs of crores versus the NDA led by Narendra Modi who has given a corruption free administration over the last three decades.

Coming back to local issues, he said that an ‘RR Tax’ (Rahul Gandhi Revanth Reddy Tax) is being collected in the state since the Congress came to power and that the state was being used as an ATM to finance the party’s campaign elsewhere in the country.

He ended his speech by listing out some of the major initiatives of the central government for Telangana and the amounts spent on them— 2500 kilometres of national highways, 4 Vande Bharat trains, an AIIMS hospital in Bibinagar, the setting up of a Turmeric Board, etc.

At Rajender's Residence In Shamirpet

The next day, I made the long journey to Rajender’s farmhouse, located near Shamirpet, in the northern outskirts of the city. The road we took traversed through the picturesque Secunderabad Cantonment area before passing close to the Outer Ring Road (ORR).

Rajender was out for his campaign and so I had to wait for a while to meet him.

I spent the time discussing his chances and the overall situation in Telangana with a couple of other local reporters and Vijay Kumar, who owns land near to that of Rajender’s family in Karimnagar district.

Kumar too stated what Gopi had told me the previous day— that Rajender would win by a margin of a few lakhs. Among the reasons he mentioned were a weakened BRS, the Congress candidate not being strong and that people wanted Modi at the Centre.

A local reporter who did not wish to be named said, “Rural people sent out KCR and I don’t see the anger subsiding so soon. People are also unhappy with how he forced Rajender out of the party. The major problem with KCR was that he had become inaccessible—not just to the public but also to his own party leaders.” 

"But it was KCR who won and Rajender who lost the Assembly elections?", I asked in order to probe him further.

"What went against Rajender, especially in Huzurabad is that the Congress which secured around 3,000 votes in the 2021 bypoll, secured over 50.000 votes in the Assembly elections. The anti-BRS votes thus got divided.

"KCR vote lu konesindu ani talk unnadhi. Oka vote ku padi vel rupaai varuku kharchu pettindu." (KCR allegedly used money to influence voters and was spent upto Rs 10,000 per voter)

Why Vote BRS When We Have Congress In The State And BJP At The Centre Plus The Urban-Rural Divide

On my way back from Rajender’s home, I met Gopal Vishnu Upadhyay, who runs a paan shop. His grandfather had migrated to the city from Rajasthan.

Asked who would win Malkajgiri, he said, “Everyone has been looting the country. But this time, the Congress would win because they just won in the state elections. The climate is favourable for them.”

C Balraj, a cab driver whom I met during one of my trips within the city, said, “People here are asking why to vote for the BRS because in the state we have Congress and at the centre we have the BJP.”

When asked about the prospects of the BRS in the state, he said, “Their chances are good only in the city. If you remember the Assembly election results, they won here but lost badly in the rural areas.”

“Why do you think they won in the city”, I asked.

“People in the city are more educated than those in the rural areas. Rural folks fell for the guarantees promised by the Congress. But city people were able to see the development done by KCR—the flyovers, the bridges etc. During the first five years, a lot of work remained pending. But in the second five years, they all got completed.

“KTR had done well in bringing and encouraging the IT industry here. Can you think of any leader in the Congress who can do what KTR has done for the IT industry?"

What The Congress Thinks: Guarantees Will Help Us Win, BRS Will Finish Third

Abhinay Goud, the Congress in charge for Malkajgiri and NSUI state secretary, who spoke to Swarajya, said , “The Congress campaign is going very well. We are doing door to door campaigning in every area. We are talking about the Congress’ promises and guarantees. There is a positive response from the public. But the BJP is giving a tough fight.”

(The six guarantees of the Congress—Mahalakshmi, Rythu Bharosa, Gruha Jyothi, Indiramma Indlu, Yuva Vikasam and Cheyutha, have provisions like gas cylinders to women at Rs 500 per month, Rs 2,500 per month to women, free bus travel for women, Rs 15,000 per year to farmers and 200 units of free electricity to each household.)

“How is the BJP making it tough for the Congress”, I ask.

“Some of the reasons are Modi, Ram Mandir and that the Congress candidate is not a local. (She is from the nearby Chevella constituency) Eatala Rajender and the BJP started the groundwork before us. We started much later."

Further, he said that Revanth Reddy is the main face on which the party is fighting the elections as he is the sitting chief minister. “Every week he comes here for two days.”

This correspondent too noticed that a majority of the Congress party's posters in the city, especially those on metro pillars, had a large picture of Reddy along with a small picture of deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, clearly indicating that he was the one being projected by the party instead of Rahul Gandhi which is what people would have expected, given that it is a Lok Sabha election.

There were posters having Gandhi's picture but most of them featured similarly sized pictures of both Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Gandhi.

Asked about the prospects of the BRS, he said, “The situation of the BRS is not good. It will finish in third place. Even though all the sitting MLAs in Malkajgiri are from the BRS, there is a tough fight only between BJP and Congress.

“The reason for BRS going to the third place is that the candidate is not well known to the public and people are thinking they would benefit more from Congress, which is in power in the state or from the BJP, which is in power at the centre.”

“How are the allegations of RR tax impacting the Congress?”

“RR tax is only circulating in social media, not among the public."

Meet Ganesh- An Auto Driver Unhappy With The Guarantees, Especially The Free Bus Travel For Women

While the Congress may be thinking that it would romp home on the back of the guarantees and the fact that it is currently ruling the state, there are people like B Ganesh, an auto driver who feels that the free bus travel for women has affected his livelihood.

“The guarantees have affected us auto drivers badly. The free bus for women has reduced our incomes drastically. The EMI for my auto is Rs 15,000. It's a struggle to pay it off every month. 

“Was the BRS government better?”, I asked. 

“Yes. The BRS was good. The BJP would be better. The Congress is not good. Revanth khaali bataan karta. (Revanth just speaks).

“Look at how nicely built the secretariat is, how nice the Ambedkar statue is. Both of these were made by KCR.”

“People in the city are educated and voted for BRS. But village people voted for the guarantees. They were like who is giving more money let us give them a chance for five years. Next time, Congress is unlikely to come back to power. It would be either the BRS or the BJP."

BRS Banking On Grassroots Strength And City Support Base To Sail Through

The next day, I went to the office of the BRS candidate, Laxma Reddy, which is located in the Habsiguda area of the city.

There, I met Mamidala Susmith Kumar, who is Reddy’s public relations officer. 

“How confident are you of the BRS winning the seat now that you have a well known leader like Eatala Rajender fighting from the BJP?” asked.

“The BRS will win", he said. "The BJP and Eatala may have been able to create a lot of hype around their campaign but what people must know is that the BRS has a very strong grassroots presence. We have workers in every booth. The same cannot be said about the BJP. They are mostly about big events like roadshows or rallies. Their ground presence is less. Also Eatala is not a local. He is from Karimnagar. Our candidate is a local.”

“What do you think about Congress? It recently defeated your party in the Assembly elections?”

“The Congress has fielded a dummy candidate. They might have defeated us in the Assembly elections held recently but people are already angry with them because they have not fulfilled the guarantees that they promised.

"Also it must be remembered that the BRS did well in the Hyderabad city region.”

Votes Of Settlers From Andhra An Important Factor

I then asked him about an issue that is especially important in some parts of the constituency like LB Nagar and Kukatpally, where there are a large number of voters who have settled in the city from Andhra Pradesh. 

“Will they support the BRS? Has the angst against the separation of states subsided?”

“There is no such feeling anymore. A large number of them are supporting the BRS. KCR had assured them that they would not face any issues here and they have been doing well.”

People from all parties, who this correspondent later spoke to conceded that the settler votes were an important factor.

One of them stated, “Many of these people have voter cards in Hyderabad as well as their native places in Andhra. If they choose to vote in Andhra, the voter turnout will reduce considerably and that could impact the results. 

“Parties in Andhra are also wooing them to come there and vote because they could help improve their prospects there. There are many areas where the TDP and the YSRCP are in tight contests.”

Speaking To Common People In Secunderabad Cantonment Segment—Which Votes For An MP As Well As An MLA On 13 May

My day ended in the Secunderabad Cantonment assembly segment. This constituency is having a bypoll after the death of the BRS MLA Lasya Nanditha in a road accident.

Among the persons I spoke to were Johnny, Ganesh and Mohammad Farooq, all of whom own shops in the Alwal area. 

Johnny was initially confused regarding the Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly bypoll, stating that the BRS candidate in the elections is a lady. (The BRS has fielded Nanditha’s sister Niveditha) I had to explain that the two were different.

While both he and Farooq said that the Congress would win, Ganesh felt that the BJP would emerge victorious.

Asked why the BJP could not win, Farooq said, “There is a lot of talk of the BJP winning. But that is just talk. They are not very strong here. The Congress will win due to the guarantees. The candidate is also good. The BRS also has a good presence. They won here in the Assembly elections.” 

Johnny added that he felt that the BRS MLA had done good work.

“What are the issues you would be voting on? I have heard that residents of the cantonment faced problems with road closures and restrictions by the Army,” I added based on my readings of local news in the past few years.

“Yes. It's true. But that will not be an important voting factor here, particularly in this locality of Lothkunta (part of Alwal). This is a main road connecting Karimnagar. It is open throughout. I however can’t say the same for other places.”

Uncle Kishor Kumar And Nephew Sushanth—Former Supports Congress, Latter Shows Why Many Urban Voters Do Not Turn Up To Vote

Following this I met Sushanth and Kishor Kumar, at their stationery shop. 

Kishor Kumar said that if the Congress government implemented its guarantees fully that itself would be enough to win. “I am supporting Congress. During the BRS government there were a lot of schemes like Rythu Bandhu, Dalit Bandhu etc. but I did not get anything. 

“Now after the Congress government has come to power, I am getting a gas cylinder at Rs 500, women are able to travel freely in buses and I am also getting free electricity. Along with other guarantees, saving around Rs 5,000 a month is a big support for a middle class family. We can use that money to buy vegetables, groceries and pay for our children’s education.”

Sushanth, his nephew, thinks very differently. A conversation with him gave me a good idea as to why urban areas often see low voter turnout due to a lack of interest in the election process itself.

“I am a supporter of none of the three. All are the same. I always vote for ‘Others’. There isn’t really anything that needs to be done here. Parties just come and go. Every five years they come, do campaigns and obstruct traffic. This is a city area, a well developed area. There is not much that politicians can do. It has grown on its own and will do so in the future as well.”

Victory Here Is Most Crucial For Rajender As It Would Mark The Beginning Of A New Innings

The Malkajgiri election is being contested on three factors:

-BJP banking on Rajender’s personality and the Modi;

-the BRS relying on its city support base (which held firm amidst the rout in rural areas);

-and the Congress pitching its six guarantees once again.

The guarantees, of which some would qualify to be called 'freebies', do have their takers in people like Kumar and thus it would be a factor that the BJP and the BRS would have to overcome, even though the latter two are also having a welfare plank coming into the elections.

The battle is undoubtedly three cornered.

For the BRS, Malkajgiri is one of the party's best hopes given that it is majorly comprised of urban areas, which is where it has been able to keep its support base intact.

The Congress on the other hand is seeing Telangana as one of the states from which it can shore up its numbers in the Parliament and thus every seat matters. With it also being the seat of Revanth Reddy before he became the chief minister, it is also in some measure, a prestige battle for the party.

While BJP members are exuding confidence and have even said that they would win by a margin of few lakhs, past election results are against them. 

It is however extremely important for Rajender himself. This is his best chance to prove himself once again after he joined the BJP from the BRS. While he won the by election from Huzurabad in 2021, he lost in the Assembly elections from Huzurabad and Gajwel, the two seats he contested (in Gajwel, he was up against KCR).

For someone touted to be a CM candidate of the BJP, a victory from Malkajgiri—coming months after a Congress victory in the Assembly elections and from an area where the BRS still retains considerable influence, would be the perfect beginning to a new innings.

This report is part of Swarajya's 50 Ground Stories Project - an attempt to throw light on themes and topics that are often overlooked or looked down. You can support this initiative by sponsoring as little as Rs 2,999/-. Click here for more details.