Congress makes graduate MLC elections a prestige battle

The Congress has taken the forthcoming Graduate MLC elections in Telangana as a prestige issue, viewing the outcome as a barometer of public perception of the Revanth Reddy government.

With the two constituencies together covering 77 Assembly segments, nearly two-thirds of the State’s 119 constituencies, the ruling party is keen to turn the elections into an endorsement of its governance and prevent the Opposition from using the results to question its popularity.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is particularly keen on the elections, as his native Mahabubnagar district falls within the Mahabubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad Graduate MLC constituency. A victory would strengthen the Congress’s political position, while a defeat could provide the BRS and the BJP with an opportunity to portray the outcome as public dissatisfaction with the government.

The Congress has already announced its candidates, placing it ahead of its principal rivals in the preparatory exercise. Sama Rammohan Reddy is the party’s candidate for the Mahabubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad constituency while Ramreddy Sarvotham Reddy is the Warangal-Nalgonda-Khammam constituency candidate.