After several weeks of speculation and carefully weighing the pros and cons, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Friday, October 7, announced Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy as the party’s candidate in the Munugode bye-election. Prabhakar Reddy is a former MLA as well as the former constituency in-charge for Munugode. A meeting was held early on Friday, which was chaired by TRS working president, IT minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) and Telangana Energy Minister and TRS Nalgonda district in-charge Jagadish Reddy. The meeting was also attended by former Lok Sabha MP Boora Narsaiah Goud and Karne Prabhakar, both aspirants for the ticket.
Following the meeting, the name of the candidate was announced in a statement released by the Chief Minister’s Office. “CM K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) took this decision after examining survey reports and opinions of local leaders, activists, district party leadership and people of the constituency. Kuskuntla Prabhakar Reddy has been a TRS activist since the party’s inception and has been working closely with the people at the field level,” read the official statement. Later, CM KCR handed over the B-form to Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy and also handed him a cheque of Rs 40 lakh towards election expenses.
CM KCR handing over the cheque to Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy
The bye-election was necessitated by the resignation of former Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy on August 8, 2022. The bye-election has become a prestige battle for the Congress, the BJP, and the ruling-TRS which has now transformed into BRS.
It must be mentioned that several TRS local leaders from Munugode had earlier met minister KTR and urged him not to give the ticket to Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy, citing internal rifts. Minister Jagadish Reddy, who has been rooting for Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy from the beginning, worked hard to bridge the differences.
Boora Narasaiah Goud, who hails from a Backward Caste community, was aspiring for the ticket and hoping that CM KCR would choose a BC candidate to take on the Reddy candidates from the Congress and the BJP. Goud said the TRS is all set to work as a single unit in the upcoming bye-election. Speaking to TNM, Dr Boora Narsaiah Goud said, “It was a popular demand from the people to choose a BC leader as the candidate in Munugode. Personally, I have never asked for the ticket. The differences were never personal and it is a matter of perception. Afterall, the party can choose only one candidate despite there being many aspirants.”
When asked why a Reddy candidate was eventually chosen despite Munugode having a sizable BC community, Goud said, “Elections are not fought just based on caste and numbers. There are many factors that are taken into consideration. TRS will work as a single unit to ensure the victory of the party in Munugode.”
TRS working president and minister KT Rama Rao with Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy
Following the announcement, speaking to TNM, Energy Minister Jagadish Reddy said, “There are no more differences within the party. The candidate has been announced and we will all work together to ensure the success of our candidate. A detailed strategy has been laid out, in charges have been decided. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will also address a public meeting and campaign for Prabhakar Reddy in Munugode closer to the date of the election.”
Karne Prabhakar, a former MLC from Nalgonda, joined the TRS party during its inception in 2001 and has served in various capacities. Being a BC leader, he was also aspiring for the ticket. Following the announcement, Prabhakar told the media, “Whatever decision CM KCR has taken, it is keeping in mind the good for the party. I urge the people of Munugode to ensure the TRS candidate’s victory by a large margin and give a befitting reply to the BJP. "
TNM had earlier reported that the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) had done a detailed survey in Munugode and suggested to the high command that Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy would be a good choice if the party were to choose a candidate from the Reddy community. The survey had also mentioned that Reddy would emerge victorious only if the TRS would bridge differences and quell the rift between the local leaders. It seems like the TRS has managed to do this with the help of Minister Jagadish Reddy.
While speaking to journalists on Friday, Minister KTR claimed that their internal survey showed TRS is nearly 15% ahead in Munugode and he exuded confidence that the party’s candidate would emerge victorious by a large margin.
The voting for the bye-election in Munugode is scheduled for November 3 and the results will be declared on November 6. The Congress was the first to declare their candidate, Palvai Sravanthi, and though a formal announcement has not been made yet by the BJP, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy has already begun campaigning in the constituency. Now that the TRS has also chosen its contender, the high-stakes battle in Munugode is going to be a war between three Reddy candidates.