Former TPCC president and senior Congress leader N Uttam Kumar Reddy is facing difficulties in the Huzurnagar assembly constituency. He used to have a strong political hold in the area, but weak leadership at the ground level and group politics within the party have become a concern for him. Many local Congress leaders have already joined the BRS party, feeling unrecognized for their years of service. After the BRS won a by-election in 2019, the ruling party’s MLA S Saidi Reddy poached all the Congress leaders and gained political strength in Huzurnagar.
The Congress leaders who remained in the party have faced struggles as their efforts were not acknowledged, even during times of crisis. Many leaders have expressed their unwillingness to serve the party, as they feel they were not recognized during the Congress regime between 2004 and 2014. Another reason for Uttam’s declining popularity in the assembly segment is that voters are inclined to support the BRS MLA, who has been attentive to their issues. Since Huzurnagar is a rural constituency, most voters have benefited from government schemes like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bhima, free power supply, shadi Mubakar, kalian Laxmi, Dalit Bandhu, etc., which has kept them away from supporting the Congress.
The voters have seen significant improvements in their lives under the BRS rule, including better roads, improved medical infrastructure, education facilities, and round-the-clock drinking water supply. Analysts believe that winning the election from Huzurnagar won’t be easy for Uttam, considering factional politics within the party and the development brought by the BRS in the assembly segment. BRS candidate S Saidi Reddy’s efforts to weaken the Congress are yielding positive results during the election period.
