A tough fight for karimnagar parliament seat

A sitting TRS MP is flaunting his five-year report card, a former Congress MP is banking on his previous developmental works and availability in the district and a BJP leader is looking to make it this time at least from this constituency. So much so that Karimnagar Parliamentary constituency promises to be a hotly contested and keenly watched electoral event with all three major parties – TRS, Congress and the BJP – fielding its heavyweights.

Old rivals

While the TRS has renominated its sitting MP B. Vinod Kumar who had won in 2014, Congress has fielded TPCC working president Ponnam Prabhakar, who had won from here in 2009 defeating present incumbent Vinod Kumar by securing a 50,243 majority but lost to the same Vinod Kumar in 2014 with a margin of 2,05,007 votes.

The BJP had fielded Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who had twice contested from Karimnagar Assembly segment in 2014 and 2018 elections and lost to TRS candidate Gangula Kamalakar.

For the first time, Sanjay is testing his luck from the Karimnagar Parliamentary constituency.

The constituency, hotbed of the Telangana statehood movement, had elected TRS founder president K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) thrice: in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Mr. Vinod Kumar is solely banking on the welfare programmes and developmental works done by the TRS government.

Besides, representation of TRS legislators from all the seven Assembly segments of the constituency and a large chunk of the local bodies’ representatives belonging to the party from the segment is likely to fetch him votes.

Moreover, during the electioneering, TRS working president K. Taraka Rama Rao has been projecting Mr. Vinod Kumar as the Union Minister candidate if federal front forms government at the Centre and has promised to take up more developmental works such as expediting the Kothapalli to Manoharabad railway line. In the 2014 elections, the TRS won the seat by cashing on their achievement: a separate Telangana State.

Anti-incumbency

Congress contestant Ponnam Prabhakar is banking on the anti-incumbency mood against the TRS MP and highlighting unfulfilled promises. Playing the non-local card against the sitting MP, Prabhakar is also banking on his “good works” taken up during his tenure from 2009-14. He is heavily stressing on his availability to the people and redressal of grievances and getting more funds from the Centre to the constituency. BJP candidate Sanjay Kumar who is trying to cash in on the sympathy factor of losing two Assembly elections, is banking on BJP’s achievements and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is also playing the Hindutva card and planning polarisation of Hindu votes. Incidentally, Sanjay Kumar and Prabhakar contested from Karimnagar Assembly segment in December 2018 elections and came second and third respectively.