Hyderabad: Ahead of Munugode bypoll, all the political parties have intensified ‘Operation Akarsh’ to attract local leaders of rival parties into their fold.
The MPPs, MPTCs, ZPTCs, sarpanches, councillors and ward members appear to be in high demand with all the political parties trying to lure them with the belief that parties that lose these leaders will be weakened and those who gain them would be at an advantage in the bypoll.
The TRS and BJP are gaining leaders and cadres, but the Congress remains the worst affected as a result of its inability to stop its leaders and cadre from being poached.
The Congress is watching this situation helplessly. TPCC president A.Revanth Reddy on Monday hinted at the party’s inability to stop defections. He claimed that the ruling party was trying to win the byelection by luring Congress leaders with money and other incentives rather than seeking votes on development and welfare schemes.
Meanwhile, the TRS stepped up its attempts to woo as many leaders of rival parties as possible ahead of the public gathering in Munugode on August 20 in an effort to formally welcome them into the party in the presence of the party’s president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. The BJP, on the other hand, is equally determined to complete ‘Operation Akarsh’ before union home minister Amit Shah’s meeting in Munugode on August 21 so as to admit them into the party on the occasion.
Although Munugode seat is held by the Congress, the party is at the receiving end, thanks to the resignation of Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy from the party as well as the Legislative Assembly to join the BJP. While Rajgopal Reddy is on a mission to take a significant number of Congress MPTCs, ZPTCs, sarpanches, and ward members along with him on August 21, the TRS has its eyes on Congress local leaders who are not in favour of joining the BJP.
The TRS is holding deliberations with such leaders and managing to admit them into TRS immediately. In the last four days, the TRS admitted as many as 14 sarpanches, three MPTCs and other local leaders from Congress and it is confident of admitting more such leaders before the CM’s meeting on August 20. The party also admitted a few BJP local leaders recently and is trying to admit more by August 20.
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