Who will emerge victorious in political tussle of Secunderabad Assembly constituency?

Assembly constituency: Secunderabad

District: Hyderabad

MLA: Padma Rao (Goud)

Reservation

Total Voters: 2,50,234

Booths: 220

Urban Voters: 0 %

Rural Voters: 100%

Male: 52 %

Female: 48 %

Caste & Religious Demography

Gen + BC: 90 %

SC: 8 %

ST: 2 %

Hindu: 75 %

Muslim: 20 %

Others : 5 %

Candidates

T Padma Rao (BRS)

Personal background

T Padma Rao was born in Secunderabad on May 7, 1954. He completed his intermediate studies at Govt. Junior College, SP Road, Secunderabad, and dropped out of the B. Pharmacy course.

He is married to Swarupa Rani, and the couple have four sons and two daughters, namely: Kishore, Kiran, Rameshwar, Trinethra, Mounika, and Aishwarya.

Padma Rao is renowned for hosting and organising grand Bonalu celebration gatherings. He's a mass leader with a massive fan following.

Political details

Padma Rao was into the liquor business before he entered politics. Padma Rao, a long-time resident of Secunderabad, is well-known for his charisma and accessibility among the locals. P. Janardhan Reddy (PJR) mentored him when he joined the Congress in 1980.

He joined the TRS (now BRS) in 2001. He was elected to the Secunderabad Assembly constituency in 2004, but was defeated in Sanath Nagar by Congress candidate Marri Sashidhar Reddy in 2009.

In the 2014 Assembly elections, he was re-elected to the Secunderabad Assembly constituency. On June 2, 2014, he was appointed as Telangana's minister for excise and prohibition, sports, and youth services. In December 2018, he was appointed as deputy speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly.

Adam Santosh Kumar (Congress)

Adam Santhosh Kumar was born on June 28, 1968, in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, to Lalitha Bai and Adam Shanker Rao. His father was a dedicated government employee who worked for Indian Railways and was a member of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC).

Adam is married to Uma Devi Santhosh Kumar, and the couple have two children: Adam Srujan Kumar and Adram Simran.

He began his political career as a student leader, and in 1984 he was elected President of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI).

He worked with Indian Railways and later assumed charge as a Secretary for the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) in the year 2013. He was appointed as general secretary of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) until December 2022. He is contesting on behalf of the Congress in Telangana Assembly elections 2023 from Secunderabad constituency.

Mekala Sarangapani (BJP)

Mekala Sarangapani, the city president of the TDP, has joined the BJP ahead of the 2023 Telangana state Assembly elections.

Mekala Sarangapani of the BJP is contesting the Telangana state Assembly elections 2023 against T Padma Rao of the BRS and Adam Santhosh Kumar of the Congress.

Constituency details

For the past three decades, members of the Yadav or Goud community have been elected in the Secunderabad constituency. Since 1952, the Congress has won five times, the TDP four times and the Janata Party once in this constituency.

Background

T. Padma Rao, the present Deputy Speaker, has won the Secunderabad constituency four times. As long as T. Padma Rao is contesting for this Assembly seat, it will be a personality-driven seat. The region is renowned for its strong cultural influence, with Bonalu celebrations held at the Secunderabad Ujjaini Mahankali temple.

The Assembly constituency presently comprises five municipal divisions and and the following neighbourhoods: Tanaka, Mettuguda, Chilkalguda, Tukaramgate, Osmania University, Warasiguda, Sitaphalmandi, Boudhanagar, Addagutta, Namalagundu and Parsigutta.

2014 Assembly elections analysis

Jayasudha, an actress-turned-politician, won the Secunderabad constituency in 2009 due to her popularity, but the residents were extremely disappointed with her tenure. She was unable to manage the Assembly constituency and was unable to control or collaborate with the corporators.

T Padma Rao, who promised to build 10,000 houses in the constituency, led the TRS to victory in the 2014 elections with 42.4 percent of the vote. The Telangana sentiment aided in obtaining a high percentage of votes, and the opponent candidate was weak due to a lack of familiarity and lacked strong cadre.

The TDP and the BJP had formed an alliance, and Kuna Venkatesh Goud ran on the TDP ticket. This resulted in a tough fight between two Gouds, with the TRS and the TDP receiving the majority of Goud votes.

Earlier, this Assembly constituency was dominated by Talasani Srinivas Yadav, who shifted his base to Sanath Nagar Assembly constituency. Talasani and Padma Rao made a secret pact, as a result of which Talasani relocated to Sanath Nagar, transferring Yadav votes to the TRS and which highly benefitted T Padma Rao.

The majority of Yadav voters supported Padma Rao, and Talasaini's cadre did not vote for the TDP. Kuna Venkatesh Goud received the majority of his votes from the TDP supporters, Seemandhra voters, and members of the Goud community.

2018 Assembly constituency analysis

Yadavs silently supported Padma Rao in the 2014 elections because their Yadav leader Talasani Srinivas Yadav was a TDP member. However, because Yadav leader Talasani Srinivas Yadav officially joined the TRS after the 2014 elections, they were able to openly and unconditionally support TRS candidate Padma Rao in the 2018 elections.

The Congress fielded a BC candidate Kasani Gnaneshwar Mudiraj in an attempt to split the BC vote. He received Mudiraj votes and a small percentage of minority votes. Bandapally Sathish, a BJP candidate from the Goud community, was unfamiliar with the constituency, and the BJP cadre was weak.

The Muslim vote shifted to the TRS since the AIMIM did not contest in the constituency owing to the TRS's secret alliance.

The influence of T Padma Rao as a minister increased the cadre's size and strength. His groundwork presence, connections with the locals, and charisma secured a resounding victory in 2018 elections.

Current Situation

The beneficiaries received 410 two-bedroom houses from sitting MLA T Padma Rao. The Secunderabad constituency is still a stronghold for the BRS candidate T. Padma Rao Goud, owing to his personal connection with the voters.

Key local issues

• Drinking water issues, drainage mixes in the water pipes.
• 2 BHK houses pending
• Basti Dawakhanas

Historical places in Secunderabad constituency

• Hanuman temple
• Katta Maisamma
• Nalla Pochamma temple
• Masjid Ahle-Hadith
• EIDGAH
• C.S.I.
• Wesley Church
• Johnson Grammar School (ICSE)
• Sri Umachandra mouleshwara swamy Temple
• Sri Subrahmanyaswamy Temple
• Jamia Masjid Al-Kausar
• Masjid e firdaus
• Masjid e sami wo hussain
• Masjid-E-Noor-E-Mohammadiya
• Rama Lingeshwara Swamy Temple (Ramalayam)
• Pochamma Temple
• Saibaba Temple (Dattatreya temple)
• Gurdwara
• Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy (Lord Balaji)"