With the announcement of the MLC election schedule, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy faces a critical political challenge. The elections, slated for March 20, will determine five MLC seats under the Legislative Assembly quota, while an additional seat from the Hyderabad Local Authorities constituency will be contested in May 2025. Given the prevailing political dynamics, this election is poised to be a significant test of Revanth’s leadership and strategic manoeuvring.
The Congress, which secured 64 seats in the last Assembly elections, has bolstered its position with the defection of 10 MLAs from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), raising its tally to 74. Despite a legal challenge by the BRS, the ruling party remains confident of securing four out of the five available MLC seats. However, the political equations remain fluid, with the potential impact of judicial intervention looming over the Speaker’s decision on the defected MLAs.
The BRS, which suffered a significant setback after being reduced to 29 seats, plans to contest at least two of the five MLC positions. The party has challenged the defections in court, but in the meantime, it remains determined to maintain its presence in the Legislative Council. The required votes is 20 MLAs.
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The upcoming vacancies include four MLCs from the BRS (one of whom defected to Congress) and one from the AIMIM. The outgoing members are Seri Subhash Reddy, Satyavathi Rathod, Mahmood Ali, Yegge Mallesham, and Mirza Riyaz-ul-Hassan. Additionally, MS Prabhakar Rao from the Hyderabad Local Authorities constituency will vacate his seat in May 2025.
Within the Congress, growing pressure from Backward Class (BC) leaders is adding complexity to the party’s candidate selection process. They are demanding at least two seats, citing their numerical strength in the recent caste census. Among them, BC groups like the Munnooru Kapus are particularly disgruntled with Revanth Reddy for denying them a cabinet berth. Similarly, several senior Congress leaders harbour grievances against the Chief Minister. As a result, the MLC elections could become a platform for dissent, potentially leading to cross-voting. Sensing an opportunity, both the BRS and BJP might exploit the unrest to embarrass the CM.
In my view, with eight MLAs, the BJP holds a crucial role in the elections. While the Congress has rejected requests from AIMIM (which has seven MLAs) and the Left parties for one seat each, AIMIM’s next move remains uncertain. Having been an ally of the BRS from 2014 to 2023, could AIMIM align with the opposition if denied a seat by Congress?
This scenario raises critical questions: Will AIMIM shift its allegiance back to the BRS? Can the BRS secure a second seat with support from either the BJP or AIMIM? Which of the two—BJP or AIMIM—will it consider for the second seat? Either way, the BRS will still fall short by a couple of seats, as it has only 29 MLAs.
The voting pattern is complex, with first-choice and second-choice preferences playing a key role. Only Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the current Andhra Pradesh chief minister—and the longest-serving leader while the state was united—has truly mastered this strategy.
Several aspirants are in the fray for the Congress nominations, including Addanki Dayakar, Faheem Qureshi, Ayodhya Reddy, Charan Koushik Yadav, Sama Rammohan Reddy, and Jagadeeswar Rao. Former TPCC working president Jetti Kusuma Kumar and senior leader Md. Ali Shabbir are also under consideration. Revanth Reddy is reportedly keen on accommodating Shabbir Ali, Madhu Yaskhi Goud, and K. Jana Reddy, but the final list remains uncertain.
Interestingly, Madhu Yaskhi, a former MP and Campaign Committee chairman, is also being considered for a Cabinet position, reflecting the Congress’ broader strategy of balancing community representation and seniority within its leadership ranks.
Recent MLC elections in the Teachers’ constituencies indicate a growing influence of the BJP. Malka Komuraiah secured a significant victory in the Karimnagar-Medak-Adilabad-Nizamabad Teachers’ MLC seat with over 50% of first-priority votes. In the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Teachers’ constituency, PRTU’s P. Sripal Reddy defeated sitting MLC A. Narsi Reddy of UTF. Meanwhile, the closely contested graduates’ constituency election between Congress’ V. Narender Reddy and BJP’s C. Anji Reddy is still underway, highlighting the BJP’s expanding electoral footprint.
The MLC elections are more than just a routine political exercise; they represent a significant challenge for Revanth Reddy’s leadership. With legal uncertainties, internal party demands, and external political maneuvers at play, the outcome will shape Telangana’s political landscape. Whether Congress consolidates its hold, the BRS regains ground, or the BJP and AIMIM emerge as kingmakers remains to be seen. This high-stakes election will not only determine Legislative Council representation but also set the tone for future political realignments in the state.
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