Five-time MLA Dr A Chandrasekhar looks likely to west Zaheerabad seat from BRS

Assembly Constituency- Zaheerabad

District: Sangareddy

MLA: Koninty Manik Rao (BRS)

Reservation: SC

Total Voters: 2,44,969

Booths: 313

Urban Voters: 25%

Rural Voters:75%

Male: 51%

Female: 49%

Caste & Religious Demography:

• Gen + OBC: 72.7%
• SC: 21.8
• ST: 5.5%
• Hindu:68.8%
• Muslim: 29.1%
• Others: 1.3%

Candidates

Koninty Manik Rao (BRS)

Koninty Manik Rao was born on July 9, 1953 in Jharasangam village in Sangareddy district. His parents are Balappa and Lachhamma. He pursued a diploma in Automobile Engineering from Government Polytechnic College, Masabtank, Hyderabad in 1977. He married Madhavi Latha and has three children. He was a retired Government employee in the transport department.

Manik Rao began his political journey with the TRS party and was appointed as in-charge of Zaheerabad constituency. In the 2014 Assembly elections, he contested on behalf of the TRS from Zaheerabad and was defeated by INC candidate J Geetha Reddy by a margin of 842 votes. In the 2018 Assembly elections, he won as an MLA by defeating Geetha Reddy with a majority of 34,473 votes.

Dr Agama Chandrasekhar (INC)

Agama Chandrasekhar was born in 1960 in Marpalli village, Vikarabad district. He began his political career with the TDP. He contested on behalf of the TDP in 1985 and won as an MLA for the first time with a majority of 20,361 votes over his nearest rival INC candidate Devdas. He contested from the TDP in 1989, 1994 and 1999 Assembly elections and was elected as MLA respectively. He served as minister in Nara Chandrababu Naidu's Cabinet after the 1999 Assembly elections.

Chandrsekhar is a five-time MLA from Vikarabad. He joined the TRS in 2001 and contested the 2004 Assembly elections on behalf of the TRS and won against TDP candidate B Madhuraveni. After he won in 2004, Chandrasekhar also served as a minister in YS Rajasekhar Reddy's Cabinet. As part of the Telangana movement, he resigned as an MLA in 2008 and contested the byelections in the 2009 Assembly elections, he was defeated by INC candidate Gaddam Prasad Kumar.

Chandrasekhar joined the INC after the formation of Telangana and stayed away from contesting in the 2014 Assembly elections. In the 2018 Assembly elections, he contested as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket from the INC. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he contested on behalf of the INC from Pedapalli and was defeated. In January 2021, he joined the BJP and quit the party in August 2023. He returned to the INC and is now contesting as an MLA from Zaheerabad in the 2023 Assembly elections.

Ramchandra Raj Narasimha (BJP):

Ramchandra Raj Narasimha is the brother of senior INC leader Damodar Raj Narasimha. He joined the BJP in February 2023 and is contesting on behalf of the saffron party from Zaheerabad Assembly constituency.

Assembly constituency information:

• Zaheerabad Municipality, Kohir, Nyalkal and Jharasangam are part of Zaheerabad Assembly constituency
• The constituency is Industrial hub
• Zaheerabad Assembly was formed in 1957, it was a general seat till 2008. In 2009, due to delimitation, it became an SC reserved constituency
• This Assembly constituency is a stronghold of the INC. In the 1994 and 2018 Assembly elections, the TDP and the TRS won this seat respectively
• Late MLA Baga Reddy was a seven-time MLA from this constituency and made this constituency a stronghold of the INC.
• It is a Muslim and SC majority seat, which are traditional voting groups of the INC

2014 Assembly Elections Analysis:

In the 2014 Assembly elections, a triangular fight was witnessed between the INC, the TRS and the TDP. The INC candidate narrowly won the battle. The core traditional supporters were with the Congress (Muslims, SC& STs and Reddys). The BC vote and traders community was split between the TRS and the TDP.

2018 Assembly Elections Analysis:

• In the 2018 Assembly elections, an earlier major supporter of INC, Mohammed Fareeduddin ex- MLA from the same constituency, had issues with J Geetha Reddy and shifted loyalties to the TRS.
• Fareeduddin was offered an MLC by the TRS.
• With Fareeduddin cross over, in most BC communities, the votes of the TDP were also shifted to the TRS and helped to win the seat with a margin of 35,000 votes.
• The BJP also secured as many as 19,800 votes with the rise of Hindutva sentiment in the Zaheerabad town.

Current Situation:

The INC is visibly active in the constituency and similarly the BJP is also actively engaged in ground activities. BRS MLA Manik Rao is mostly staying in the constituency and accessible to people. However, the core developmental issues remained unsolved.

Key Local Issues:

• Locals are not getting employment in the industries established around Zaheerabad.
• No basic infrastructure in ST areas.
• Sanitation issues in the town (Shanti Nagar and Housing Board colony)