Lok Sabha elections: Hard battle at hand as BJP looks to hold on to lone seat in Telangana

HYDERABAD: Secunderabad is the only Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana represented by BJP.
Harping on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendera Modi and the NDA government’s achievements in the last five years, BJP is aiming to win the Lok Sabha seat for the fifth time. Bandaru Dattatreya has won from Secunderabad on four occasions. BJP is confident of retaining this seat and will be announcing its candidate late on Saturday night or Sunday.

While earlier the contest from Secunderabad was mainly between the Congress and the BJP, the TRS has emerged as a main player here after winning 6 of the total 7 Assembly segments in the December-2018 polls.
The BJP had an alliance with the TDP in the 2014 LS elections when it won in Secunderabad and also 3 of the 7 Assembly segments in this parliamentary constituency including Amberpet, Musheerabad and Khairatabad. TDP had won in Sanathnagar and Jubilee Hills. TRS won in Secunderabad Assembly segment and MIM in Nampally. However, the two TDP MLAs defected to TRS. “The situation has turned on its head after the 2018 Assembly polls. The TRS, which had only one Assembly segment in 2014, has 7 MLAs on its side including the Nampally legislator from its friendly MIM. The BJP lost all its three seats and was relegated to third and fourth positions except in Amberpet and Khairatabad where its candidates were runners-up. BJP state president K Laxman was in third place in Musheerabad,” said a senior TRS leader.
Former MP from Secunderabad Anjan Kumar Yadav of the Congress said that people of the country were vexed with the Modi-led government at the Centre which failed to act on all its promises and that the BJP will lose it in Secunderabad
The BJP leaders, on their part, said that Congress has lost all credibility. “People do not trust the Congress and they are going to vote in favour of Narendra Modi all the way in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP will not only retain the Secunderabad seat by a huge margin but also win at least three more LS seats in Telangana,” a senior BJP leader said.
MIM MLC Aminul Hasan Jafry said neither the BJP nor Congress stood any chance of winning the Secunderabad Lok sabha seat. “The TRS along with MIM has swept all the 7 Assembly seats in this parliamentary constituency. Even the vote share of TRS in 2018 Assembly polls was nearly 45% and it was less than 26% for the Congress-led Kutami. The BJP got less than 18% votes. If MIM vote share is added to TRS, it will cross the 50% mark,” Jafry added.