Telangana polls: State BJP President Laxman's re-election garners interest

At a time when the BJP is hoping to bolster its strength in Telangana Assembly polls and emerge as an alternative to ruling TRS and Congress, the contest in Musheerabad segment here from where the Amit Shah-led party's state president K Laxman is seeking re-election has generated considerable interest.

And it's not without reason.

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Contesting for the first time in 1994, he lost in the segment, won in 1999 but lost in 2004 and 2009.

But in 2014 (when the BJP had an electoral pact with the N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP), he was victorious with a margin of 27,386 votes against his TRS rival M Gopal.

BJP is going alone in the December seven polls, and Laxman, who had his grooming in BJP's student wing ABVP and joined the party in 1980, is confident that he would win again.

The TRS, led by caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, has again fielded Gopal, while M Anil Kumar Yadav is the Congress nominee in this urban constituency with an electorate of nearly 2.7 lakh people, largely from the middle-class, minorities and poor sections of society.

A soft-spoken leader, 62-year-old Laxman holds a Ph.D in geology from the Osmania University in Hyderabad.

He rose through the ranks and became the president of BJP in Hyderabad in 1995.

Laxman counts construction of houses for poor, establishment of a major training and skill development centre (that provided employment to youth belonging backward sections in a big way) and strengthening educational facilities among his achievements.

He alleged non-cooperation by the TRS government but said he has always tried to put his best foot forward.

"Apart from that, I have protected the NTR stadium (a major stadium in the city) when our CM (K Chandrasekhar Rao) wanted the stadium to be converted into a cultural auditorium; and Indira Park into a lake (for immersion of Ganesh idols as part of Vinayaka Chaviti festivities)," Laxman told PTI.

Alleging that the culture of consuming alcohol and others spread in Hyderabad during the TRS rule, he said BJP alone can save Hyderabad, in addition to fighting the MIM.

Anil Kumar Yadav, president of Youth Congress in Telangana, is contesting the Assembly poll for the first time, and has been reaching out to voters, holding 'padayatras'.

"There are many problems in the localities of Musheerabad and people are telling us about them.

They are welcoming a young candidate like me," Yadav said.

During the campaign, he had also alleged that there is an understanding between the BJP and TRS.

"TRS is trying to make BJP win," he had claimed.

Punjab minister and cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu and TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu campaigned in support of Yadav in Musheerabad this week.

The Congress has forged an alliance with the TDP, Telangana Jana Samiti and the CPI for the December seven Assembly election.

Yadav, son of former Congress MP from Secunderabad M Anjan Kumar Yadav, is also relying on the influence of his father.

Musheerabad falls under Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency.

The TRS nominee Gopal is banking on the welfare schemes being implemented by the TRS government.

"They (voters) are telling how schemes like senior citizens getting pensions benefitted them and that makes us happy," he had said during the campaign.

TRS leader and minister K T Rama Rao, son of party president K Chandrasekhar Rao, campaigned in Musheerabad in support of Gopal on Tuesday.