Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddy and others during a public meeting ahead of the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections, at Secunderabad, in Hyderabad district, Friday, April 19, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Secunderabad: Having breached the Congress stronghold in this urban area, the BJP is now aiming to consolidate its position in the Secunderabad Lok Sabha by securing a third consecutive victory in the upcoming general elections. The 17 Lok Sabha seats, including Secunderabad in Telangana, will go for polls on May 13 in the fourth phase.
As per the 2011 decadal census, Secunderabad, located within the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region, has a population of 2,17,910, with 1,968,276 registered voters.
Secunderabad, being an urban constituency, holds notable political significance due to its substantial Muslim voter base, constituting approximately 12.19 percent of the total population.
Historically, the constituency has been a stronghold of the Congress party. The Congress party had won 12 out of 15 Lok Sabha elections and one by-election. However, in the last two elections, BJP candidates won segments.
While the present Haryana governor, Bandaru Dattatreya, won the segment in the 2014 polls, G. Kishan Reddy won in the 2019 polls. In the 2024 polls too, the BJP had fielded Kishan Reddy from Secunderabad, hoping for a hat-trick win. Despite relying on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image and the support of pro-Hindutva urban voters, the BJP faces a concerning trend with a decrease in the winning margin from the previous election.
The Secunderabad Lok Sabha segment is characterized as a vibrant and cosmopolitan area, encompassing a diverse mix of religions and communities, reflecting the urban fabric of the region. While Dattatreya won the constituency with a margin of 2,54,735 votes over his nearest rival, M. Anjan Kumar Yadav of Congress, Kishan Reddy won with a majority of only 62,114 votes in the 2019 polls over his nearest rival, BRS candidate, Talasani Sai Kiran Yadav.
Congress had picked BRS Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender, who had recently switched to the grand old party. BRS had fielded Secunderabad MLA, T Padmarao Goud. Both Nagender and Padmarao are seen as grassroots leaders, and coming from the Backward Classes, they both have an advantage among certain sections.
BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao, in anticipation of repeating the electoral success of the Pink Party in the last year's assembly polls, fielded Goud to clinch the Secunderabad Lok Sabha segment from the BJP. In the last year's assembly polls, BRS candidates won six of the seven assembly segments that fall under the Secunderabad Lok Sabha segment.
With BRS enjoying general goodwill from urban voters, Goud is looking at winning the segment. Starting his political career as a corporator, Padma Rao Goud entered the state assembly for the first time as a Secunderabad MLA in 2004. After that, he has been representing the Secunderabad assembly segment from 2014 onwards.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wave sweeping across the country, especially in urban areas— Kishan Reddy is hoping to retain Secunderabad, which has sizeable middle, and upper middle class voters besides settlers from north Indian states, among whom Modi has unwavering support and unmatched popularity. However, being the party’s state president and having to focus on the statewide campaign and electioneering Kishan Reddy off late, he has been unable to focus much on his home segment.
Congress candidate Nagender, however, is said to be facing some resistance from the local leaders of the party, which may affect his winning prospects.