How Munugode turned into battlefield for new ambitions

In good olden days, kings and emperors used battles as the key strategy to expand their kingdoms and empires in India. Now, India is a democratic country in which political parties and their leaders rule the roost. But political parties and politicians can't indulge in battles to expand their frontiers and power bases. They have to adopt democratic means to do so. Of course, some deploy aggressive political strategies too. That's what Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is doing in Munugode to expand its base and realise its regional ambition of coming to power in Telangana.

The saffron party, which is in power at the Centre and in majority of the States, succeeded in attracting sitting Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy from Munugode Assembly constituency, into its fold. His resignation paved the way for the by-polls scheduled for November 3.

Why did BJP take this gamble? Congress, still the only credible national rival to BJP, is still a strong force to reckon within Telangana despite its internal squabbles and lack of any effective strategies. But BJP put up a good show in the last few years by wresting Dubbaka and Huzurabad Assembly seats from TRS and putting up a strong show in GHMC local polls.

A win in Munugode will obviously help BJP emerge as a strong alternative to TRS before the upcoming 2023 Telangana Assembly polls. The reason is Munugode Assembly constituency is a part of old Nalgonda district which has been a stronghold of Congress and communists for decades. But, the moot question now is whether Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, who is in the fray on the behalf of BJP, will win the seat a second time. Recently, I travelled across Munugode Assembly constituency - from Choutuppal to Nampally with Munugode and other places in between. Surprisingly, a section of his support base is not happy with his uncalled-for decision to resign without any proper reason just one year ahead of the Assembly polls. As he is the first time MLA from the constituency, it is not easy for him to build a large loyal support base in such a short time. The allegation of his rivals that he shifted loyalties to BJP for the sake of Rs 18,000-crore contract that his company secured from the Coal India Limited in Jharkhand, also took a toll on his image. But Komatireddy is known to turn tides in his favour. Furthermore, he extended material and financial support to certain communities during the recent Covid pandemic. That may come in handy now. This time, his political fortunes largely hinge on the last-minute poll management though.

For Congress, the untimely defection of Rajagopal Reddy to the saffron party is obviously a big blow both in Munugode as well as old Nalgonda district, its bastion for long. A significant chunk of the party cadre shifted loyalties to BJP along with Reddy. Lack of aggressive strategy has been haunting Congress across the country and in Telangana also. And it is evident in Munugode as well. So, its performance in the by-polls depends on whether the loyalty factor works for its candidate Palvai Sravanthi Reddy, daughter of Palvai Goverdhan Reddy, a five-time MLA from the constituency.

Telangana Congress President Anumula Revanth Reddy is leading the political battle from the front and the party is putting up a spirited fight. But it is to be seen whether his efforts will pay dividends this time around.

As for TRS, the pink party is on the back foot after ignominious defeats in Dubbaka and Huzurabad in the hands of BJP. Yet another by-poll foisted on it, this time by BJP, just a year ahead of State Assembly polls, had pushed it to a corner initially. But it has been trying to convert this challenge into an opportunity to showcase its strength. The pink party chalked out a padmavyuha with one observer for every 15 votes and the deployment of its entire political force-be it ministers, MLAs and senior party leaders. Interestingly, TRS candidate Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy, who won the seat in 2014, but lost in 2018, has turned into a bystander as the party's State leadership took control of the by-polls.

As TRS lost two consecutive Assembly by-polls to BJP, a win in Munugode will give the pink party a much-needed fillip before the upcoming Assembly polls, a key test for TRS as it aims at a third consecutive term. With TRS supremo Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) making his national ambitions crystal clear by converting TRS, a regional political outfit, into Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS), a national party, it will obviously try for a big majority in the by-polls so that KCR can showcase to the nation his capabilities to defeat BJP.

That way, KCR is putting his national ambitions to a test in the by-election. To achieve this, TRS seems to be banking on its welfare schemes such as old age pensions and Rythu Bhandu. Unlike in 2018, it also has the support of communist parties which enjoy a loyal support base in the constituency. It is also taking the allegations that Rajagopal Reddy surrendered to BJP for the sake of a mining contract, to the voters aggressively. Split in the Congress vote base will also benefit it.

It's an undisputable fact that money plays crucial role in any election. More so in a by-election like this. But Munugode constituency has virtually been turned into a fortress with the presenceof police personnel and police check posts at every nook and corner. My car has been checked for morethan 10 times during my visit to the constituency. That shows the level of security deployment that theTelangana police have undertaken in the constituency. This is aimed at curbing the money flow in theelections. And the target is obvious. But curbing money flow in an election is not an easy task.

Apart from TRS, BJP and Congress, the other visible political outfit in the by-election seems to be Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Repalle Shiva Praveen Kumar, a former IPS officer, who heads BSP Telanganaunit, is leaving no stone unturned to make a mark. BSP fielded a BC candidate. But its cadre has clarity.BSP may not win the elections, but it will certainly influence the prospects of others in the fray, they say.All said and done, Munugode by-poll is crucial for the top three contestants- TRS, BJP and Congress.

IfTRS loses the election, there may not be any immediate impact on the party in Telangana as elections aremore than a year away and it will have ample time on hand to mend its ways. But the party's supremo KCR may have to do a re-think on his national ambitions and BRS. Congress will be in deep trouble if itfails to put up a good show in its backyard. If BJP is on the losing side, it may regret taking such anunnecessary gamble after winning Huzurabad convincingly. But it can still claim itself as the bestalternative to TRS if it secures a second place in this Congress bastion. However, BJP's loss will hurt Rajagopal Reddy more politically. But this election is of his own making. So, he should not have any regrets. Anyway, the Munugode by-poll result will resonate across the country irrespective of who wins. That's for sure.