Congress eyes Greater Hyderabad gains as BRS MLAs defect

 July 14 (IANS) The latest defections by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs have come as a shot in the arm for the ruling Congress party in Telangana as it looks to consolidate in Greater Hyderabad, a region where it drew a blank in Assembly elections held in November last year. Buoyed by the victory in the by-election to the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly seat, the Congress party has succeeded in making three BRS MLAs in Greater Hyderabad defect during the last two weeks. The Congress, which had already lured Khairatabad MLA D. Nagender and Greater Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi, appears to be making calculated moves to cement its position in the state capital ahead of next year's elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Political analysts say Greater Hyderabad was one region where the Congress desperately needed a foothold and it achieved this with its 'Operation Akarash'. The grand old party, which wrested power from BRS, had put up an impressive performance in rural Telangana but failed to win even a single seat in Greater Hyderabad, a region which sends 24 MLAs. Despite suffering huge setbacks in its strongholds, the BRS had maintained its grip on Greater Hyderabad, winning 16 seats, while All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) retained all its seven seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held on to its only seat. There was an apprehension among a section of voters in Greater Hyderabad that a change of guard may impact the development in the region and this was believed to have prompted them to remain loyal to BRS. Analysts say voters may have thought that the change of government may impact the business environment and the flow of investment as the KCR-led government claimed to have laid special emphasis on the development of the IT sector and urban infrastructure in and around the city. In the 2018 elections, the Congress had won two seats (Maheshwaram and LB Nagar) in Greater Hyderabad but both the MLAs later defected to BRS. Sabitha Indra Reddy, who was rewarded with a Cabinet berth, retained Maheshwaram in the recent elections while D. Sudhir Reddy was re-elected from LB Nagar. They were among over a dozen Congress MLAs who had defected to BRS in 2019. It's now the Congress' turn to pay back. The ruling party has already succeeded in poaching nine BRS MLAs and more are said to be waiting in the wings. The Congress, which won 64 seats in the 119-member Assembly, has improved its tally to 74. This includes the win in the Secunderabad Cantonment by-election. The Congress began its 'Operation Akarsh' from Greater Hyderabad in March when then Chevella MP Ranjith Reddy and Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender, both of BRS, switched loyalties. Ranjith Reddy and Nagender, contested unsuccessfully on Congress tickets, from Chevella and Secunderabad Lok Sabha seats in the May 13 elections. BRS MLC P. Mahender Reddy and his wife Sunitha, chairperson of Vikarabad Zilla Parishad, also joined Congress. Sunitha was fielded as a Congress candidate from Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency but she too tasted defeat. The Congress got a big boost in March when Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi of BRS joined the ruling party. She is the daughter of senior leader K. Keshav Rao, who quit BRS to join Congress earlier this month. The victory in the by-election for the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly constituency came as a shot in the arm for Congress. The ruling party wrested the seat from BRS. The by-election was caused by the death of BRS sitting MLA Lasya Nandita in a road accident early this year. Sriganesh of the Congress party defeated his nearest rival T. N. Vamsha Tilak of BJP by 13,206 votes. BRS candidate Nivedita Sayanna, sister of Nandita, finished third. The win helped Congress to show its presence in Greater Hyderabad and build on the defections from the main opposition party. After the Lok Sabha elections, the exodus from BRS continued. Though BJP emerged stronger in Lok Sabha elections in Greater Hyderabad wresting Chevella and Malkajgiri from BRS and Congress respectively, it was the grand old party that attracted more defectors from BRS. On June 28, Kale Yadaiah, BRS MLA from Chevella constituency in Rangareddy district, joined the Congress. It was a homecoming for Yadaiah, who had defected to BRS in 2015 a few months after he was elected to Assembly on a Congress ticket. In 2018, he retained the Chevella seat as BRS candidate. In the Assembly elections held in November 2023, Yadaiah won the Chevella seat for a third consecutive term, defeating Congress party’s P. Beem Bharat by a slender margin of 268 votes. On July 12, BRS MLA from Rajendranagar constituency, T. Prakash Goud joined the Congress. The next day another BRS MLA Arekapudi Gandhi switched loyalties. They had met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu during his visit to Hyderabad recently. As CM Naidu is planning to revive the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Telangana, this meeting sparked speculation that they will return to TDP, a party they were associated with in the past. However, both the MLAs denied any such plans and finally joined Congress. Prakash Goud was elected from Rajendranagar constituency on a TDP ticket in 2009. He was re-elected in 2014 but later joined TRS (now BRS). He won the seat as BRS candidate in 2018 and retained it in the recent polls, On July 13, Arekapudi Gandhi, the MLA from the Serilingampally constituency, joined the Congress in the presence of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. Gandhi was elected Serilingampally on Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket in 2014 but later joined TRS (now BRS). He retained the seat in 2018 and 2023. The latest defections are expected to help Congress consolidate its position in Greater Hyderabad ahead of next year’s municipal polls. In the previous elections for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) held in 2020, BRS emerged as the largest party by winning 55 out of 150 wards. The BJP had emerged as the main opposition with 48 seats while AIMIM had secured 44 wards. The Congress party could win only two wards. While encouraging defections, the ruling party also mended fences with AIMIM. Asaduddin Owaisi-led party, which was a friendly party of BRS in Assembly elections, also softened its stand towards Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and backed Congress in all Lok Sabha constituencies, barring Hyderabad. AIMIM has historically played the role of kingmaker in GHMC. In the event of a hung verdict, AIMIM's support will be crucial for Congress to have its own mayor. --IANS ms/svn