Komatireddy Venkat Reddy desperate to oust BRS, ‘restore lost prestige’ in Nalgonda

District: Nalgonda

MLA: Kancharla Bhupal Reddy

Reservation: GEN

Total Voters: 2,30,144

Booths: 284

Urban Voters: 53%

Rural Voters: 47%

Male: 50.33%

Female: 49.67%

Caste & Religious Demography

Gen + BC: 80.10%

SC: 18.60%

ST: 1.40%

Hindu: 87.00%

Muslim: 12.00%

Others : 1.00%

Candidates Profile

Kancharla Bhupal Reddy (BRS)

Born in 1975, Bhupal Reddy started his political career with the TDP. In the 2014 Assembly elections, he was not given a ticket as the party contested in alliance with the BJP. He contested as an independent candidate from Nalgonda and came second. In 2017, he joined the TRS (now BRS) and won elections the next year. Bhupal Reddy hails from an agricultural family. He is financially strong and runs a crusher business in Nakrekal constituency.

Komatireddy Venkat Reddy (Congress)

Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, born on May 23, 1965 is the current Bhuvanagiri Congress MP. Komatireddy Venkat Reddy was actively involved in youth politics as part of NSUI. Komatireddy won as a Congress candidate from Nalgonda Assembly four times: in 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014. He was appointed as Minister for Information Technology in former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy's Cabinet.

Madagani Srinivas Goud (BJP)

He is a BC candidate for the BJP from Nalgonda. He was earlier with the TDP. While he has been on the ground for over 10 years in Nalgonda, he has a disadvantage as his party doesn’t have a cadre.

Constituency information

Background: This constituency was formed in 1952. In the 15 elections held so far, the Congress won seven, TDP three, Communists four and the BRS once. In 1985, TDP founder NT Rama Rao won from this constituency. Before 2009, seven mandals and one town was part of the constituency but after the 2009 delimitation exercise, it now has only three mandals and one town. Nalgonda, Thipparthy, Kanagal and Madugulapally form the constituency.

Economy: Majority of the people’s livelihood in the Assembly depends on agriculture. Paddy, cotton and sweet lime are the main crops in Nalgonda. Rice millers, pharma chemicals, cotton looms, stone crushers and refined edible oil companies are the major industries in Nalgonda.

2014 election analysis

Komatireddy Venkat Reddy won from this constituency in 2014. One of the major reasons for this victory was because he refused to join Congress Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy's Cabinet as Minister demanding separate Statehood for Telangana. Apart from that, in 2010, his son Prathik Reddy died in an accident. He then established the Komatireddy Prathik Foundation and did many charitable works. He even built a new junior college in Nalgonda town which helped poor people. The construction of Ramagiri flyover also helped him win the seat along with establishing the Mahatma Gandhi University. Many educated voters started supporting him.

2014 Assembly Elections

In 2014, the TDP and the BJP fought in an alliance. Komatireddy Venkat Reddy won by a margin of over 10,400 votes. Independent assembly candidate Kancharla Bhupal Reddy contested as an independent and came second. The BRS candidate Dubbaka Narasimha Reddy came a distant third and polled over 35,000 less than Bhupal Reddy.

2018 Assembly Elections

In 2018, Kancharla Bhupal Reddy contested from a BRS ticket and won. The BRS welfare schemes found resonance with the public. There was a huge anti-incumbency against Komatireddy. Venkat Reddy as he was the MLA since 1999. BJP candidate Shanmukha Chary was not familiar with the constituency and was able to garner only 1,916 votes.

Key Local Issues

• improving the conditions in Nalgonda area hospital and making it a super specialty hospital has been a major demand.
• Expansion of Mosambi market.