Congress, BJP look to make dent in BRS’s Koppula family’s stronghold Parigi

Parliament: Chevella

District: Vikarabad

MLA: K Mahesh Reddy (Reddy)

Reservation: GEN

Total Voters: 2,39,857

Booths: 305

Urban Voters: 0

Rural Voters: 100%

Male: 51%

Female: 49%

Caste & Religious Demography

Gen + BC: 67 %

SC: 17 %

ST: 15 %

Hindu: 90 %

Muslim: 8 %

Others : 2 %

Candidate’s Profile

Koppula Mahesh Reddy (BRS)

Koppula Mahesh Reddy is the son of Harishwar Reddy. Harishwar had worked as Deputy Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Assembly and was a five-time MLA from Parigi. In 2014, he contested as an MLA and lost. Mahesh Reddy completed his graduation from Osmania University and started his political career with the TRS (now BRS). The party offered a ticket to Mahesh Reddy instead of his father in the 2018 elections and he won.

T Ram Mohan Reddy (Congress)

He started his political journey with the Congress. He worked as Pradesh Congress Committee secretary in undivided Andhra Pradesh and was the former member of the National Board for Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. He served as chairman at TRR Institute of Engineering and Medical Sciences and at TRR College of Engineering and Technology. He was appointed as District Congress Committee president of Vikarabad district. In 2014, T Ram Mohan Reddy was elected as an MLA from Pargi and was made the government whip of the Congress in the first Telangana Legislative Assembly. He, however, contested and lost the 2018 elections. In 2020, he became the convener of the PCC for agitation against the Pothireddypadu Lift Irrigation Project. He started the ‘Mana Parigi Mana MLA’ initiative with which people could reach out to him via telephone, SMS, or even Facebook.

Booneti Maruti Kiran (BJP)

Maruthi Kiran Booneti has a diverse background that spans education, professional achievements, and active participation in politics. His political journey began in 1991 when he joined the BJP, and since then, he has actively supported various election campaigns including that of K Laxman in 1999 and other leaders in successive elections. He is known for his philanthropic activities in Parigi.

Constituency information

Geography

Parigi, Domah, Gandeed, Kulkacharla and Pudur mandals form the Parigi Assembly constituency

Background

In Parigi Assembly consttuency, the Congress won six times, the TDP five times and an independent three times. From 1994 to 2014, TDP candidate Koppula Harishwar Reddy won this Assembly seat. Although the TRS was formed in 2001, it was less influential in this Assembly consttyency. Koppula Harishwar Reddy contested from the TRS in 2014 and lost to T Ram Mohan Reddy of the Congress who captured the anti-incumbency votes. Kulkcherala and Parigi are the strong mandals for the Congress. Domah and Gandeed, which were strongholds of the TDP, have now been taken over by the BRS. Pudur is a swing mandal. Although BCs and STs are dominating in the constituency demographically, Reddyies are politically the strongest.

2014 Election Analysis

• In 2014, the Congress candidate won the Assembly by a small margin of 5,163 votes over the stalwart Harshwar Reddy.
• The BJP contested this election with the TDP support and got 13,300 votes, where most of the votes are TDP

2018 Election Analysis

• The TRS candidate was able to consolidate his earlier support of the TDP cadre and won with a majority of 16,250 votes. The vote base consists of BCs and Muslims.
• The Congress has maintained its vote bank which consists of the SC, ST and upper castes.
• Reddies votes were split between both parties.
• The BJP stood in fourth position with 6,000 votes, which were polled in Parigi town.

Current Situation

• Currently, both the BRS and the Congress are locking horns here. The MLA and ex- MLA are going into public regularly
• The former MLA and the Congress candidate has become more active after Revanth Reddy became the PCC president and poached second and third-level cadre from various parties
• The Congress candidate has following among the youth
• The BJP has conducted very few ground-level activities

Key Local Issues:

• Drinking Water
• Unemployment
• Flesh trade in ST tandas