Mynampalli Hanumanth Rao’s son Rohith pitted against mighty Padma Devender Reddy in Medak, reopening of sugar factory vital

Assembly Constituency: Medak

District: Medak

MLA: Padma Devender Reddy. M (Reddy)

Total Voters: 2,06,199

Booths: 275

Urban Voters: 16%

Rural Voters: 84%

Male: 48%

Female: 52%

Caste & Religious Demography:

• Gen + OBC: 75.2%

• SC: 16.4%

• ST: 8.5%

• Hindu: 91%

• Muslim: 7.4%

• Others: 1.6%

Candidates

Padma Devender Reddy (BRS)

Padma Devender Reddy was born in Kammarkhanpet, Karimnagar, and is married to a businessman, Jayaprakash Reddy. She is a lawyer and politician. Before joining politics, she played an active role in the Telangana movement in 2001. She was a practising advocate in Ranga Reddy district court and in Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Mynampally Rohith (Congress)

Dr. Rohith comes from a political background. He was born on December 1, 1997 in Hyderabad to Mynampally Hanmanth Rao and Vani. Mynampalli Hanumanth Rao moved heaven and earth to secure the nomination for his son from Medak. Both father and son quit the BRS and joined the Congress. Rohith is contesting as an MLA for the first time. Mynampally Rohith did MBBS, from Mediciti Institute of Medical Sciences and runs a charitable organisation called Mynampally Social Service Organization (MSSO).

Panja Vijay Kumar (BJP)

Panja Vijay Kumar was born on July 9, 1975. He hails from the town of Nizampet in the Medak district. He is the son of the Late Panja Balaiah and Panja Narsamma. He completed his seventh standard at Zilla Parishad High School in Konapur village, Ramayampet Mandal, Medak district. He did Intermediate at Sapthagiri Junior College in Vijayawada between 1991 and 1993. Later, he did his Bachelor's degree at JNTU Hyderabad and PG at the IASE Deemed University, Hyderabad. His political career started with the BRS, but later joined the BJP and was elected as a ZPTC member.

Assembly constituency information:

The Medak Assembly was reconstituted in 2008 after the Ramayampet and Medak Assembly constituencies were dissolved and formed into a new Assembly constituency. Medak, Papannapet, Ramayampet and Shankarampet mandals are part of the constituency.

The TRS (now BRS) and the TDP have a strong presence in this Assembly constituency. In the 2009 Assembly elections, the TRS-TDP alliance candidate Mynampalli Hanumanth Rao won with a majority of 21,000 votes, although the BRS rebel candidate and current sitting MLA Padma Devender Reddy contested independently and got 15,000 votes.

Politically, the Reddy community dominates in the constituency, but BCs also have a strong political hold.

Post 2014, the BCs rallied behind the BRS further solidifying chances for the pink party. Muslims form a significant segment of this constituency. However, their votes are divided between the Congress and the BRS.

MLA profile:

Political background: She joined politics after the launch of the BRS in 2001. She was elected as a ZPTC member from Ramayampet to Medak Zilla Parishad in the 2001 local body elections and served as floor leader of the BRS party.

She contested in the 2004 Assembly elections from Ramayampet constituency on the TRS ticket and won against Vani Mynampally of the TDP with a margin of 30,000 votes. She lost against Mynampalli Hanumanth Rao of the TDP in the 2008 by-election with 12,000 votes.

After reorganization, she contested from Medak Assembly in the 2009 Assembly elections as a rebel of the BRS and lost. She got 15,000 votes in that election.

She was suspended from the BRS in 2009 and reinducted into the party in 2010.

In the 2014 Assembly elections and 2018 Assembly elections, she was elected from the Medak Assembly constituency. She was a deputy speaker in the Telangana Assembly in 2014.

Cadre strength: She had a good personal cadre, which was usually looked after by her husband Jayaprakash Reddy.

Financial strength: Strong.

Remarks: She is not satisfied with the party leadership, as she wasn't given ministry after BRS came into power for the second time.

Cultural

• 12th-century Edupayala temple

• Medak fort

• Pocharam dam

2014 Assembly Analysis:

• The BCs and most of the Reddy community rallied behind the BRS. KCR contested as an MP getting more votes for the BRS

• The Telangana formation wave and the presence of the BRS candidate and her cadre on the ground level helped her to secure a 39,000 vote majority over the Congress candidate.

• The Congress votes were limited to minority communities and SC communities in the 2014 Assembly elections. It secured 50,054 votes in this election.

• Although Congress candidate and actor Vijaya Shanthi is a well-known face and an ex-MP of Medak, she could not win the election.

• The TDP could get only 9,000 votes.

2018 Assembly Analysis:

• Although there was a wave against the MLA on the grounds of corruption and the high-handedness of her husband and relatives, there was no strong face from the opposition, which is the foremost reason that Padma Devender Reddy won again.

• The Congress candidate was announced on the last day of nominations, and a new face was brought in.

• A positive wave for the BRS also helped her to win the election.

• The urban areas have helped her to get a good majority.

Current Situation:

• Currently, there is dissatisfaction amongst the people over the lack of basic infrastructure development and inaccessibility of the MLA.

• The corruption and dominance of the MLA's husband had led to growing negative sentiment amongst the people and cadre

• However, the BRS has a strong cadre presence and effective organisation on the ground.

• Recently, the BRS held organisational elections that helped the party renew the energy in the party on the ground.

• Post-2018 election, the MLA’s presence is limited and confined to Hyderabad.

• The Congress party has a limited presence, but with the appointment of Revanth Reddy as the TPCC president brought new energy

• Congress lacks strong Assembly-level leadership.

• Mynampalli Rohith is new and has problems facing people

• The ex-MLA from Congress P Shasidhar Reddy joined the BJP two years ago, and he is actively working.

• Sashidhar Reddy has sizeable support in Shankarampet mandal, but he got 250 votes when he contested in 2018 Assembly election for the NCP as a rebel to the Congress party. The party is still weak on the ground.

Key Local Issues:

• Development of Gosumdram, Mallam Chervuvu, and Titlam tanks

• Encroachment of Nayakaru Chervu

• Manjeera lift irrigation project

• Roads and basic infrastructure

• Nizam Sugar Factory issue