HYDERABAD: The BJP on Sunday accepted the verdict of the people in Munugode and congratulated TRS candidate Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy for his win. However, it added that it was disappointed with the TRS leadership which, post the verdict, chose to criticise the BJP but did not say a single word about keeping its promises made to the people of Munugode and how the government would fulfill them within 15 days of completion of the election.
BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar told reporters that though the party had lost the poll, it was not a setback. It would evaluate the reasons for the loss, and move ahead. He thanked the people of Munugode for turning up in record numbers to vote, party candidate Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy who, he said, had “fought like a hero against huge odds” for the people, and BJP members who worked hard in the face of unheard levels of intimidation by the police and TRS leaders.
“The BJP has shown that it is now the only party that can face the TRS in the state,” Sanjay said, adding that it received 40 per cent of the vote, which reflected its rise in the constituency where, in the past, it had to settle for far fewer votes.
“We did not want to criticise the TRS as it won because we believe that the winner should have his moment. But TRS leaders launched an uncalled for attack on the BJP,” he said.
Sanjay said the BJP would hold to account Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who promised to solve all the ‘minor issues’ in Munugode like completing the Dindi lift irrigation project, construction of a hospital and a college, laying new roads, within 15 days after the election.
“There is a reason why the TRS did not speak today about its promises to Munugode. If it does, then there will be demands from other constituencies for their MLAs to quit. People are already asking for more bypolls, and that is the reason why the TRS cannot say it will honour its Munugode bypoll promises. The TRS insulted the verdict by staying silent on its promises,” Sanjay said.
“This victory is actually not that of the TRS but of the state election officials and the police, who worked hard to ensure a TRS win. The TRS distributed RS 5,000 per voter, supplied people with liquor but not a single TRS person was caught,” he said.
Rajgopal Reddy, claimed moral victory “in the face of overwhelming abuse of power by TRS, distribution of liquor and money to voters even on the voting day by the ruling party in the election that was between KCR’s family and the people.”
He said that because of the Left parties, which had joined hands with TRS, some 10,000-odd votes went in favour of the TRS candidate.
Reddy said that this election saw the suspension of a returning officer midway through the election process. “This shows how the state election commission was manipulated by the ruling party. Then there were continuous threats to BJP workers and obstruction of campaign by party leaders including him. But I am not giving up and will continue the fight under the leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” he said.
Senior party leader Dr K. Laxman said the Munugode verdict showed how the Congress, which lost its deposit, was nearing disappearance. “Whatever we say today will sound like an excuse but the fact is this poll was against KCR’s family rule, his corrupt and autocratic government. To take on the BJP, the TRS pressed into service 100 of its leaders, including ministers, and despite that our votes rose from 12,000 in 2018 to nearly 87,000 this time. The BJP will be ready to face the TRS again and to come to power in the state.”
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