Will Bhosle Narayan Rao, Ramarao Patel, cousins, be able to overpower Vittal Reddy in Mudhole?

Assembly Constituency: Mudhole

District: Nirmal

MLA: Gaddigari Vittal Reddy (BRS, Reddy)

Reservation: GEN

Total Voters: 2,35,858

Booths: 311

Urban Voters: 17%

Rural Voters: 83%

Male: 49%

Female: 51%

Caste & Religious Demography

Gen + OBC: 74.20%

SC: 16.50%

ST: 9.30%

Hindu: 82.30%

Muslim: 15.20%

Others : 2.5%

Candidates

Gaddigari Vittal Reddy(BRS)

Gaddigari Vittal Reddy, born in 1962 in Nirmal district, is the sitting MLA of Mudhole Assembly constituency. In 1980, he earned his LLB from Osmania University in Hyderabad and worked as an Advocate.

He began his political career with the Praja Rajyam Party(PRP). He ran for Mudhole constituency but was defeated by 183 votes. He joined the INC and served as MLA for Mudhole constituency in Nirmal district from 2014 to 2018.

Bhosle Narayan Rao Patil(INC)

Bhosle Narayan Rao Patil, a senior leader and former MLA, represented the Mudhole constituency in Nirmal district from 1994 to 1999 and again from 2004 to 2009 on behalf of TDP and contested 2018 Assembly elections on behalf of the Congress.

Ramarao Patel Pawar (BJP)

Ramarao Patel, a BA from Osmania University, is a senior leader in Nirmal district who contested on behalf of the Congress from the Mudhole constituency and secured third position in the 2018 Assembly elections.

One of the senior most candidates in the Congress in Nirmal district, Patel was later appointed as Nirmal District Congress Committee (DCC) president. However, he quit the Congress and joined the BJP in November 2022. The BJP announced a party ticket to Ramarao Patel in Mudhole for Telangana elections 2023.

Geography: Mudhole, bordering Maharastra state, comprises seven mandals and 143 villages, including Bhainsa, Tanur, Mudhole, Basara, Lokeshwaram, Kubeer, and Kuntal.

Muslims dominate Bhainsa and Tanur mandals, with AIMIM winning Bhainsa municipality. Munnuru Kapu dominates Kubeer and Kuntal mandal, Patels in Loksheshwaram and Mudiraj in Mudhole.

Background: The general constituency has seen the TDP, the INC and the TRS win multiple elections since 1984, with Reddy dominating politically and Munnuru Kapu, Muslims, and Patel dominating electorally in this constituency.

MLA Profile

Personal information: Vittal Reddy was born on August 6, 1954, to G. Gaddenna, who served as the MLA for Mudhole six times.

Profession: Business and Land lord

Political background: He began his political career as market committee chairman and contested the 2009 elections on behalf of the PRP, but lost by a slight margin. In 2014, he was the only Congress MLA in Adilabad district, defecting to the ruling TRS. He later got back to the TRS and the won the seat in 2018 on behalf of the BRS.

Financial strength: Very strong

2014 Assembly Elections Analysis

Padakanti Ramadevi, representing the BJP, secured the second position due to the polarisation of Hindu votes, particularly from Munnuru Kapu and Maratha communities. The constituency experienced numerous communal riots, with anti-Muslim sentiment votes gaining favor for the BJP.

Samudrala Venugopalahary suffered electoral defeat due to anti-incumbency and the opposition claims that he was not a local candidate. The TRS secured votes through Telangana sentiment and Chary's political image.

Gaddigari Vittal Reddy (Reddy) from INC narrowly lost an election in 2009 but gained public sympathy in this election. The INC received significant support from Muslim, SC, and ST voters, and his father's reputation significantly contributed to his victory.

2018 Assembly Elections Analysis

Ramarao Patel, a member of the Maratha community, secured traditional INC votes and also divided Patel votes. Gaddigari Vittal Reddy used a strategic tactic to divide Hindu votes by falsely claiming that AIMIM leader Mohd Jabir Ahmed supported the INC candidate. The strategy led to the division of Patel votes between the BRS and the INC.

However, it's worth noting that AIMIM internally supported BRS, which helped secure Muslim votes. Vittal Reddy's defection from INC to BRS following the 2014 election resulted in INC losing its second-rung leadership to the BRS.

BJP candidate Padikanti Ramadevi, a Velama community member, won anti-Muslim votes but lost Patel votes to the Congress and the TRS.

Current Situation

Current BRS MLA Gaddigari Vittal Reddy is facing significant anti-incumbency sentiment among the populace.

The Bhainsa communal riots are causing disturbances, but the BJP is unable to capitalise due to its lack of coordination with other right-wing organisations within the Assembly constituency.

Key Local Issues

• Evacuees from the Palsikar Ranga Rao project
• Communal riots in Bhainsa
• Pollution caused by the liquor factory in Basara
• Delay in the completion of the Pipri Lift Irrigation project