The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Tough battle at Malkajgiri

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 12, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Tough battle at Malkajgiri

Marri Ramu

HYDERABAD: With the political career of four candidates of main parties at stake, the first election to the newly formed Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency has become crucial for the contestants.

Though L. Rathaiah of Lok Satta, founder of Vignan educational institutions, is relying on the educated voters - a limited group - the contest is mainly among the sitting Congress MP, Sarve Satyanarayana, Bheemsen of Telugu Desam, N. Indrasena Reddy of Bharatiya Janata Party and T. Devender Goud of Praja Rajyam. They are putting their best to secure lion share of the 21 lakh voters spread over seven Assembly segments.

Being a sitting member of Siddipet, from which Malkajgiri was carved out, Mr. Satyanarayana is readily responding to issues raised by voters. He boasts of playing crucial role in making Malkajgiri, Quthbullapur, Uppal and L.B. Nagar, now Assembly segments, as separate municipalities during his stint as MLA and MP.

Mr. Satyanarayana of Scheduled Caste is not worried of being fielded from general seat. He feels it manifests his strength as a candidate and making whirlwind trips with just three days left for the polls.

The TDP nominee is new to the constituency and the party cadre as well, but is making use of the party network and cadre of the Grand Alliance partners.

Mr. Bheemsen is confident of securing lead in Secunderabad Cantonment, where his party nominee is sitting MLA, Medchal, Uppal and Kukatpally segments having rural voters in sizeable numbers. He is depending heavily on the party’s promise of colour TV distribution and cash transfer schemes in the campaign attracting villagers and slum dwellers.

N. Indrasena Reddy is banking on Kukatpally, Malkajgiri, L.B. Nagar and parts of Uppal where his party leaders held positions in local bodies and has committed workers.

Though his party has little presence in Medchal, Quthbullapur and Secunderabad Cantonment, Mr. Reddy is trying to garner support by raising the issues of security in Hyderabad pointing out terrorist attacks.

T. Devender Goud initially went around the constituency extensively but is eventually is found to be focussing more on Ibrahimpatnam from where he is contesting for Assembly seat simultaneously. He knows the constituency by its palm as during his long years in Telugu Desam played a key role in developmental activities.

He expects to garner support from his loyalists in Telugu Desam as well as the Praja Rajyam nominees in Assembly segments to scrape through in the Lok Sabha contest too.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh