Who will emerge victorious in Shadnagar's unpredictable political landscape?

Assembly constituency: Shadnagar

District: Rangareddy

MLA: Anjaiah Yelganamoni

Reservation: GEN

Total Voters: 2,10,966

Booths: 252

Urban Voters: 20%

Rural Voters: 80%

Male: 51.2%

Female: 48.8%

Caste & Religious Demography

Gen + BC: 73.60%

SC: 17.10%

ST: 9.20%

Hindu: 89%

Muslim: 9%

Others : 2.00%

Candidates

Constituency details

Background

Shadnagar was an SC-reserved constituency prior to delimitation until 2008, and the constituency became a general constituency in 2009. It was a Congress bastion until 2009, when it was taken over by the TRS due to the Telangana movement and the emergence of strong leaders.

The Reddies, who are economically and politically dominant, are the deciding factor in the Shadnagar constituency. The BCs such as Mudhiraj, Yadavas, Gouds, and Padmashali are also strong in this constituency.

Economy

Real estate has become the primary occupation of political leaders due to its proximity to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and the Bangalore Highway (NH-44). Majority of the population is employed in agriculture, and many industries are located within the constituency.

Candidates

Anjaiah Yelganamoni (BRS)

MLA profile

Personal background

Anjaiah Yadav is a member of the Yadava community, which is the constituency's dominant BC community. Despite belonging to the BC community, he is from the agriculture and landlord patel family.

Political background

Anjaiah Yadav, a Patwari, joined the TDP in 1978 and served as the Mandap Praja Parishad (MPP) from 1987 to 1992. He was also a ZPTC member from 2001 to 2006 and an MPTC member from 2006 to 2011. He was the first MPP from his village elected to Keshampet's mandal.

In 2002, he joined the TRS and was elected as a ZPTC member in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district. The TRS (now BRS) won only two ZPTCs out of 64 mandals, one of which is Keshampet. Anjaiah was appointed as chairman of the committee on Welfare of Backward Classes on September 22, 2019.

He was elected as MLA on behalf of the TRS party with the largest majority of 70,315 votes in the 2014 Telangana Legislative Elections. He was re-elected in the 2018 Telangana Assembly elections with the TRS's largest majority of 86,579 votes.

Cadre strength: Very strong

Financial strength: Strong

K Shankaraiah (Congress)

K Shankaraiah, TPCC State General Secretary, was born on March 15, 1969, in Veerlapalle, Nandigama mandal, Ranga Reddy district. Shankar received his early education at Nandigama High School from 1986 to 1987.

He then enrolled in the intermediate course at Shadnagar's Government Junior College, which he completed in 1988. He graduated from Osmania University with a B.Com.

He entered politics in 1992, when he joined the Congress. Shankaraih was elected by the people in 1995 to serve as the village sarpanch of Veerlapalle in Nandigama Mandal for two terms, from 1995 to 2002. Shankar served as the mandal president of Kothur from 2004 to 2014.

Shankaraiah contested for MLA from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the Shadnagar Constituency in 2018. In the Telangana State Assembly elections in 2023, he is contesting on behalf of the Congress in the Shadnagar constituency.

Ande Babaiah (BJP)

Ande Bahaiah, a senior BJP leader and the BJP executive member from the Shadnagar constituency, is contesting for the BJP in the Telangana State Assembly elections in 2023. He is confident that the BJP will form a double-engine Government in Telangana this time, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

2014 Assembly constituency analysis

TRS candidate Anjaiah Yadav won with a majority of 17,328 votes and 45 percent of total polled votes in 2014. He received only 8,000 votes in the 2009 elections, but in 2014, he received sympathy and Telangana sentiment, which helped him win, and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao praised him in public meetings about his character, which also helped him win, and all BC communities supported him.

The TDP and the BJP formed an alliance in 2014, but Shadnagar TDP supporters were dissatisfied because the TRS was given the opportunity, and many TDP leaders voted for the TRS.

The Reddy community received tickets from two major political parties: the Congress, Prathap Reddy, and the BJP-TDP alliance, Srivardhan Reddy; which was one of the major reasons for the TRS's victory.

Veerlapally Shankar of Congress and Ande Babaiah of the TDP joined the TRS and supported Anjaiah, leading to his victory in the 2014 elections.

2018 Assembly constituency analysis

In the 2018 elections, TRS candidate Anjaiah secured a majority victory with over 22,000 votes, largely due to his KCR and welfare schemes.

Veerlapally Shankar, a TRS leader, contested as a BSP rebel candidate and received significant support from the Dalit community. Dalits in Shadnagar typically vote for the Congress, but when the BSP contested, they voted for it. The public rejected the Congress-TDP coalition.

Current Situation

BRS

The BRS, the incumbent party in Shadnagar, has a robust track record of development in the constituency.

The BRS party, led by K. Chandrashekhar Rao, has gained popularity in Shadnagar but is facing growing anti-incumbency sentiment and concerns about its economic handling.

Congress

The Congress, the traditional rival of the BRS in Shadnagar, has experienced a decline in recent years. The Congress has been grappling with the challenge of identifying a robust leader and establishing a clear vision for Telangana's future.

However, the Congress maintains a strong following in Shadnagar and cannot be ruled out of the race.

BJP

In recent years, the BJP has gained ground in Telangana, and it is regarded as a serious contender in Shadnagar. The party has benefited from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity, and it has also been effective in mobilising its Hindu nationalist base.

However, the BJP has struggled to connect with Muslim voters, who make up a significant proportion of the Shadnagar electorate.

The overall political landscape in Shadnagar is unpredictable, with the BRS as the favorite, the BJP as a strong challenger, and the Congress potentially surprising everyone.

The Shadnagar elections' outcome will be influenced by various factors such as national mood, campaign effectiveness, and voter turnout among various voter groups.

Key local issues

• Laxmidevipally irrigation project in Shadnagar constituency
• Bridge at Chattanpally Railway gate
• Pollution in Kothur and Shadnagar