Operation Akarsh : Congress Getting Empty?

Bypoll victory changes political equations in Telangana

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections seem to be emptying the Congress of its key leaders with a majority of them set to join the BJP. The BJP’s victory in just one bypoll, Dubbak, had changed the political equations in Telangana.

The Congress, which was pushed to the third position in the Dubbak bypolls held recently, was in for a rude shock ahead of the GHMC polls when several of their leaders, including GHMC former mayor Banda Karthika Reddy, her husband Chandra Reddy, Serilingampally former MLA Bhikshapati Yadav, his son and constituency in-charge Ravikumar Yadav, switched sides to the BJP.

In another programme, TRS leader of Amberpet and Padmsali Sangham leader Kattula Sudarshan too joined the BJP.

Hyderabad polls in-charge and BJP national general secretary Bhupender Yadav welcomed the leaders into the party. He suggested that the party cadre should create awareness among the people about the failures of the TRS like poor management of flood relief and rehabilitation, rampant corruption and others.

Congress did injustice to me: Karthika

He said that the BJP’s aim was to defeat the TRS, as its governance was mired in corruption.  “The TRS government should answer the poor demanding for 2-BHK houses.”  He asserted that the BJP would get voted to power and no other political party could prevent their victory with their tricks.

Speaking on the occasion, Karthika Reddy lamented that the Congress party had done injustice to her. She hoped that she would not face such a situation in the BJP. At one moment, she broke down and even said that ‘she should be paid basing on her talent and work’.

Karthika Reddy said that she was not going to fight the GHMC polls this time. “I had strived for the development of the Congress but the party had allocated the ticket which should be given to me to different persons for two times.” She exuded confidence that the BJP will win the Mayor seat this time. “TRS working president and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao is fearing rout in this elections and so resorting to cheap tricks. But, the BJP will emerge victorious,” she said.

Union minister of state and Telangana BJP leader G. Kishan Reddy said that people in Telangana were wishing for a change and the BJP alone could fulfil the aspirations of the people. He alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched to make AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi as the Chief Minister of Telangana and said that the BJP would thwart the attempts.

Operation Akarsh

The BJP, eyeing victory in the GHMC polls, has begun attempts to lure the Congress leaders through “Operation Akarsh”. There is buzz that the BJP leaders have visited the houses of Congress dissidents after 10 pm and are trying to pull them into the party fold.

BJP state chief and MP Bandi Sanjay had reportedly visited former MP Konda Visweswara Reddy, Kuna Srisailam Goud  at their houses and held discussions with them. Sanjay also visited Legislative Council former chairman Swamy Goud and Devi Prasad’s houses.