Despite an increase in voters in Rajendranagar, the Congress may struggle to gain ground in the constituency during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party’s weak leadership is a primary reason for this difficulty, as it is facing strong competition from the BRS party led by T Prakash Goud, a four-time MLA.
Although there is strong anti-incumbency against the BRS government and public outrage against the MLA, the Congress has failed to take advantage of this opportunity to turn the tide or put up a tough fight against the BRS party.
Rajendranagar is located in the southern part of the city and is one of seven constituencies in the Chevella LS segment. The constituency includes three mandals: Rajendranagar, Gandipet, and Shamshabad. The Rajendranagar mandal falls under the GHMC limits and covers five divisions: Rajendranagar, Shastripuram, Mailardevpally, Attapur, and Suleman Nagar.
On the other hand, Gandipet and Shamshabad mandals are largely represented through municipal administration, including one corporation and three municipalities: Bandlaguda Jagir Municipal Corporation and Shamshabad, Manikonda, and Narsingi municipalities.
According to records, the Rajendranagar constituency has 599,778 voters, with 310,863 men and 288,684 women.
In the recent elections, only Prakash Goud from the BRS party managed to win, securing his fourth term. The BJP put up a tough fight to secure second place, while the Congress candidate failed to retain the second spot they had secured in the previous elections.
The Congress currently lacks a leader who can lead and manage the warring groups in the three mandals of Rajendranagar constituency. Kasturi Narender, the party’s constituency in-charge who tasted defeat in the recent elections, only holds a grip in the Manikonda area. However, he is facing a strong no-trust campaign from ward members.
According to community activist Mahender, the lack of coordination, proper management, and dwindling faith among leaders and cadre of the Congress in Rajendranagar speaks about the groupism within the party. This led to the party’s recent election loss, despite strong public dissatisfaction with both the previous government and the BRS MLA’s presence in the constituency.
Senior politician Syed Shoukat Ali suggests that the Congress needs to strengthen its position in the constituency and introduce a more proactive leader if it wants to overcome groupism and secure a resounding mandate in the LS elections.
However, there are still some enthusiastic Congress leaders who believe that the party’s position can be improved and strengthened in Rajendranagar, leading to a strong mandate in the upcoming elections. Shekhar Yadav, president of Shamshabad Mandal Congress, is confident that the party will gain strength in the constituency and ensure victory for their chosen candidate.
