Exactly one year ago, Munugode Assembly constituency caught the nation’s attention when a bypoll was necessitated after prominent Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy quit the party, resigned from the Assembly to join the BJP, and contest from the same constituency but on the saffron flag with much fanfare.
The high-decibel campaign saw top BJP leaders campaigning while the BRS leadership went on an overdrive pressing almost the entire cabinet into electioneering. Ruling party candidate K. Prabhakar Reddy finally won the bitterly fought tight contest. This dashed the hope of BJP wanting to ‘empty’ the Congress as the exodus of leaders into its fold did not happen.
Much water has flowed and there has been a lot of jumping around parties by leaders since then. While the BRS candidate is the same person, Mr. Rajagopal Reddy is back in Congress and is the candidate again. Those with him during the bypoll like senior BJP leader G. Manohar Reddy are now straining every sinew to get him defeated.
Incidentally, BJP chose noted contractor Ch. Krishna Reddy, who had jumped from the Congress, as its nominee. The ticket could have gone to Mr. Manohar Reddy but he had already contested twice from Munugode in 2014 and 2018 and wanted to contest from L.B. Nagar. This time, he is standing by Mr. Krishna Reddy in his campaign.
“I have an emotional connect with Munugode. I built the party from grassroots in erstwhile Nalgonda district. No one directed me to campaign, it is my commitment to the party. We have requested national general secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar to campaign, but he is busy in Karimnagar. We are expecting Union Home Minister Amit Shah to come,” said Mr. Manohar Reddy, who had played a key role in Mr. Sanjay Kumar’s padayatras.
As for Mr. Krishna Reddy himself, he is confident of winning. “KCR had promised infrastructure worth ₹550 crore during the bypoll, including roads, drinking water and completion of pending irrigation projects of Shivannaguda and Lakshmapur. Nothing has happened as he does not have the money,” he charged.
“I am a local person and know about the problems. I am assuring drinking water in every village, irrigation water to the fields in all mandals, new ration cards, two-bedroom houses or house sites to the poor, underground sewerage and internal roads with the help of funds from the Centre. If I cannot do all these, I will not seek votes next time. This is my personal manifesto,” he explained.
Why did he quit the Congress? “Veterans Komatireddy brothers and former TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy have been ruling the roost for decades here, making a lot of money, and preventing fresh blood but ignoring the constituency. There should be a change in political leadership. How long will these old leaders reign? They tried to crush me because I was close to TPCC chief Revanth Reddy,” he added.
