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Nizamabad Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 2019’s ‘giant killer’ Dharmapuri Arvind (BJP) will take on T Jeevan Reddy (Congress) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s Bajireddy Goverdhan
Arvind Dharmapuri’s constituency will vote on May 13. (X)
The Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency currently comprises seven Assembly segments — Armur, Bodhan, Nizamabad (Urban), Nizamabad (Rural), Balkonda, Koratla and Jagtial. It’s current MP is Dharmapuri Arvind of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The constituency will vote in phase four on May 13.
Since its formation in 1952, the Nizamabad seat was a Congress stronghold, even while various parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won it during different general elections. After the formation of Telangana, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) (then Telangana Rashtra Samithi) won the seat for the first time in 2014. BRS scion K Kavitha was unseated by BJP’s Dharmapuri Arvind by a small margin in 2019.
Sitting MP: Dharmapuri Arvind (BJP)
Key candidates: Dharmapuri Arvind (BJP), T Jeevan Reddy (Congress) and BRS candidate Bajireddy Goverdhan
VOTING FACTORS
BJP: The BJP is going strong in Nizamabad. In 2019, the party had stunned observers by doubling its vote share to 45.22%. The rise in BJP’s vote share not just in Nizamabad, but across Telangana has now convinced the saffron party that it can win a higher number of Lok Sabha seats from the state this time. In the Assembly polls last year, the BJP had managed to double its vote share from 6.98% in 2018 to almost 14%. This gave it the much-needed ground to begin the ambitious political project in the state that is likely to culminate with the party winning a lion’s share of Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Dharmapuri is making whirlwind tours in Nizamabad and Jagtial districts. Ground reports clearly indicate that the BJP is ahead in terms of poll preparedness and activity on the ground. Dharmapuri is trying to reach out to various sections of the voters. The BJP strength in Nizamabad is clear from the fact that the party has won five of the seven Assembly seats falling under the Lok Sabha constituency. Hindutva is a strong plank for the BJP in Nizamabad. On ground reports indicate that strategies like use of Shivaji statues in districts such as Adilabad, Nizamabad and Nirmal have helped consolidate support from the Hindu community. These districts border Maharashtra, and are also communally sensitive due to a high Muslim population. Dharmapuri has also been courting controversy with remarks like, “Vote for BJP, or go to hell”, and demanding the removal of the word “secular” from the preamble of the Constitution. He was defeated in the recent Assembly elections from Koratla by BRS candidate and spine surgeon Kalvakintla Sanjay. Dharmapuri had angered the BRS cadre and consolidated votes against him by commenting that the BJP would distribute money if K Chandrashekhar Rao and his son K T Rama Rao die. Dharmapuri had last year suffered some opposition from within the BJP ranks, but the murmurs of discontent eventually died down.
Congress: T Jeevan Reddy is the party’s candidate from the constituency. Not many within the Congress were in favour of Jeevan Reddy getting the ticket from this seat though. In the Assembly election last year, the Congress emerged as the only real rival to the BJP. However, it must be remembered that the Congress’ performance in 2019 general elections was marked by a dramatic drop in vote share.
BRS: The BRS is a party in troubled waters. Nizamabad was represented by KCR’s daughter K Kavitha, who now finds herself under arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi Liquor Scam case. Kavitha has dropped out of the polls. According to reports, internal surveys of the party showed that Kavitha would face a huge setback if she contested, which would also impact the party’s future. One of the reasons being given for Kavitha not contesting the upcoming elections is that KCR is trying an image makeover of his party. The BRS’s poll drubbing in the state elections has been attributed to the party getting branded as family-run enterprise with KCR’s son KTR, nephews T Harish Rao and Santosh Kumar, and daughter Kavitha at the helm. This time, the BRS has fielded Bajireddy Govardhan from Nizamabad. His candidature has been welcomed by BRS activists in Nizamabad and Jagtial districts and is said to have enthused the cadre. Govardhan belongs to the Munnuru Kapu community, and he has roots in undivided Nizamabad and Jagtial districts. His family maintains ties with families in Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Jagtial and Rajanna Sircilla districts. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, Munnuru Kapu community members extended their support to Dharmapuri Arvind. Now, the BRS anticipates that Govardhan’s nomination will split the votes of the BJP and give the former a fighting chance. However, the BRS has bigger problems to deal with. The run-up to the Lok Sabha polls has been taxing for the party, as at least 40% of its sitting MPs have refused to contest. In many of the 17 parliamentary constituencies in the state, the party struggled to find suitable candidates due to a high rejection rate.
VOTER DEMOGRAPHICS
Total voters: 1,55,3385
Urban: 553,005 (35.6%)
Rural: 1,000,380 (64.4%)
Voters by caste
SC: 208,154 (13.4%)
ST: 86,990 (5.6%)
Voters by Religion
Hindu: 82.23%
Muslim: 17.4%
Christian: 0.77%
KEY ELECTION ISSUES
Agriculture: Turmeric cultivation remains the primary source of income for people in the Nizamabad constituency’s rural areas. Fair prices for turmeric was dominant issue in 2019 general elections and the recent state elections. The failure of the BRS to ensure support for farmers cost them the elections.
There are around four Assembly segments in Nizamabad — Nizamabad Rural, Armoor, Balkonda, and Jagtial — where the turmeric issue can determine voting choices.
In October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the formation of the National Turmeric Board during a visit to Mahbubnagar. Ahead of the 2019 elections, it was Dharmapuri who signed a bond stating he would resign if the NTB was not announced after his election. The BJP can claim credit for the establishment of the NTB in these elections.
Outsider Vs Insider: Ahead of the Assembly elections last year, an issue began haunting candidates in at least five of the nine Assembly constituencies in old Nizamabad district — locals versus ‘outsiders’ (non-locals) sentiment. The issue was visible in Yellareddy, Banswada, Nizamabad, Balkonda and Jukkal SC Assembly constituencies. The biggest concern among the people was that once elected, will these candidates — called ‘parachute’ leaders — be accessible to them? The narrative could be a potential factor in the Lok Sabha elections as well.
Real Estate: The real estate business in undivided Nizamabad district has been on a steady decline. Sales of open plots and flats have sharply decreased in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts. Meanwhile, from the time the Congress came to power, realtors have been waiting for announcements of new initiatives.
Crime: The crime rate within the Nizamabad Police Commissionerate area has increased sharply in 2023 compared to the two years before it. Property-related crimes, white collar crimes, apart from crimes against women, have increased. The Congress government has, so far, not been able to make a visible impact in crime prevention, and this could potentially become an election issue. The NIA recently arrested PFI leader Abdul Salim from Nizamabad.
Water Shortage: Like many areas in Telangana, and also because it borders drought-hit Maharashtra, Nizamabad has a drinking water problem. A lot of complaints have been lodged with the district officials. It has been found that Mission Bhagiratha water is not reaching every house in many places. Launched in 2016, Mission Bhagiratha is a safe drinking water project for every village in Telangana.
KEY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES
- In October last year, PM Modi had laid the foundation stone for a slew of development projects across key sectors of power, transport and health in Nizamabad. These included the dedication of an 800-MW unit under Telangana Super Thermal Power Project Phase-1 of NTPC, a new railway line connecting Manoharabad and Siddipet, and an electrification project on the Dharmabad-Manoharabad and Mahbubnagar-Kurnool routes. He also laid the foundation for 20 Critical Care Blocks (CCBs) across the state under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.
- The Congress government is hoping to capitalise on its bid to reopen a sugar factory in Nizamabad which was shut in 2015. Nizamabad Rural MLA R Bhupathi Reddy has assured people that the factory would not be privatised and called on farmers to cooperate with the government to ensure the plant is reopened.
- In July last year, the BRS government had allotted 26 acres to the Forest Development Corporation (TSFDC) for development of eco-tourism in Nizamabad district.
- Earlier in February, in light of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Nizamabad Urban MLA Bigala Ganesh Gupta had directed officials to complete all development works undertaken in the city within 45 days. These included works of Dubba Vaikuntha Dhamam, the municipal corporation’s new building complex, Khaleelwadi, Ahmadi Bazaar integrated vegetable and meat market yards, Kotagalli, Qilla, Arsapalli Vaikuntha Dhamams and Raghunatha Cheruvu mini tank bund works.
OTHER KEY STATE ISSUES
Corruption: A major factor which affected the BRS’s performance in the state election was corruption. The involvement of BRS leaders in cases like the Delhi liqour scam have painted a poor picture. A CSDS-Lokniti post-poll study indicated that corruption emerged as a prominent source of dissatisfaction among voters. The BRS is likely to still suffer from the stigma even in the Lok Sabha polls.
Job creation: Telangana is struggling with limited availability of formal sector employment. Both the BJP and Congress promised creation of jobs in their poll manifesto last year. CM Revanth Reddy has appointed D Sridhar Babu as IT, BT minister. He is educated, young and dynamic, and the hope is that he will further Telangana’s IT ambitions. Earlier, KTR had earlier claimed that under the BRS government, employees in IT industry in the state increased to nearly nine lakh from over three lakh in 2014.
Freebies: Like AP, Telangana also has a thriving freebie culture. KCR, during his 10-year rule, survived mainly on freebies and the incumbent Congress government is also continuing with it, promising more freebies. From farm loans to free LPG cylinders and financial assistance to underprivileged people, guarantees around welfare schemes and the implementation of these schemes are likely to play a key role in shaping the political landscape of Telangana. There is a growing burden of state loans and substantial financial commitments associated with various aid programmes such as Rythu Bandhu and Dalit Bandhu schemes.
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