Telangana: Huzurabad set to witness high-voltage contest in bypoll

With the Election Commission announcing the schedule for the bypoll on Tuesday, the Huzurabad assembly constituency in Telangana is all set to witness a high-voltage contest as the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the opposition BJP will be keen to test their strength ahead of the 2023 assembly elections. The by-election is crucial for the BJP as the party aims to emerge as an alternative to the TRS in the State in the next assembly polls.

The run-up to the polling on October 30 is expected to see frenetic campaigning by both the parties, while the Congress is hoping to get its act right under the leadership of its new PCC president A Revanth Reddy.

While the TRS is trying to woo Dalit voters with its flagship Dalit welfare scheme 'Dalit Bandhu', the BJP is banking on the stature of Eatala Rajender, who is likely to be its candidate.

The bypoll is necessitated by the resignation of Rajender in June this year after he was removed from the state cabinet of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao over allegations of land grabbing.

Rajender, who dismissed the allegations against him, has since joined the BJP and is expected to be the saffron party's candidate in the bypoll.

It's a do-or-die battle for Rajender as he has been winning the assembly constituency on TRS ticket ever since he joined the regional party in 2003.

Rajender, a popular leader from the backward classes, had served as the floor leader of TRS in undivided Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. After the formation of Telangana, he served as Finance Minister and Health Minister in the governments led by K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Meanwhile, the ruling TRS is keen on proving that its dominance in state politics is continuing unchecked and that there is no challenger to Rao's leadership.

The TRS has already announced the candidature of its student leader Gellu Srinivas for the by-election.

Both Rajender and TRS have started their campaign months before the schedule for the bypoll was announced.

Rajender has been touring the constituency since his exit from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and state ministers T Harish Rao and Gangula Kamalakar have been making efforts to muster support for the TRS.

The 'Dalit Bandhu' scheme, announced by the Chief Minister, is being implemented on a pilot basis in Huzurabad.

Each beneficiary under the scheme would get Rs 10 lakh with which the beneficiary can start his/her own business and emerge out of poverty.

Top BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who addressed a public meeting in Telangana on September 17, had urged the voters to vote for Rajender in the by-electiion.