CHEVELLA: As the beats of Bharathamata muddu bidda Narendra Modi (Mother India’s favourite son) get louder, a saffron deluge breaks the calm of Bahadurguda’s mundane afternoon. A nook in the tiny hamlet, not more than 20km from Hyderabad’s IT corridor, is suddenly seen brimming with a curious crowd, eager to catch a glimpse of Modi’s messenger.
That he is also India’s second richest MP candidate (as per 2019 affidavits) isn’t common knowledge here. In 2019, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy declared assets worth Rs 895 crore. This time, his assets rose to Rs 1,240 crore, while the total assets of his family were declared at Rs 4,568 crore.
But eyes light up the moment Reddy mentions Ram mandir. “Only Modi garu could have done this. Others made promises, but he delivered on it,” says schoolteacher Donakunda Saraswati, among the roughly 30 lakh voters from this LS constituency of Chevella that runs through the swank Financial District of Greater Hyderabad up to the fields of Tandur, about 120km from the state capital. There’s a twinkle in her eye as Saraswati shares how 20kg bags of prasadam from Ayodhya were delivered straight to every home in her village of around 500 families.
While it remains to be seen how the Ram temple issue plays out in south India, in this constituency in Hyderabad’s backyard, it’s a key talking point. Since Chevella was formed post delimitation in 2009, BJP hasn’t won the seat. It’s been shared between BRS and Congress.
Ram mandir evokes a collective sense of pride here. “Every family, from all faiths, contributed to the temple…whatever they could,” chips in K Jayamma, forgetting her list of woes, including an acute water shortage in the village. Many heads around her nod in agreement.
Vishweshwar Reddy admits that his confidence of riding BJP to its debut win in Chevella partly lies in Modi’s success in delivering on the mandir promise. “It is not so much about the mandir as it is about trust,” says he, catching a breath in between rallies. “Modi built a narrative a few years ago and gradually worked towards fulfilling it, earning the trust of the electorate,” he says, certain of a “400% increase” in BJP’s rural vote share in Chevella this time.
In 2019, BJP’s B Janardhan Reddy got about 2 lakh votes – roughly 5% of it from rural pockets. “That’ll change dramatically,” says the IT entrepreneur-turned-neta dressed in a modest dhoti-kurta.
As TOI drives away from the saffron cavalcade and into the villages of Maheshwaram segment, the reaction to Ram mandir remains consistent. “It is Modi’s election this time. Everybody I know will vote for him,” says Chenna Krishna, running a spare parts shop. He admits to being only vaguely aware of the local candidate.
The chatter in the tea stall next door is no different. “The Gandhis gave us land here… people are thankful for that. But they are also impressed with Modi’s temple gift. So, the tide could shift in his favour,” says paddy farmer C Raghupathi, from Sirigiripur village in Maheshwaram, confessing his allegiance to the grand old party.
Congress is represented by sitting MP G Ranjith Reddy, who won on a BRS ticket in 2019. He switched to Congress recently. Owner of Sri Rajeshwara Hatcheries Pvt Ltd, Ranjith Reddy is a poultry industry giant and features on the national list of super-rich candidates. He had assets worth Rs 163 crore last time. This time, he declared movable assets of Rs 158.8 crore and immovable ones worth Rs 97.5 crore.
The MP, of course, refers to himself as a “common man”.
“I don’t consider myself rich. Unlike my opponent (Vishweshwar Reddy) who was born with a silver spoon, I started with nothing and built my business. He has the money, I have hard work,” says the secondtime candidate, dismissing the Modi or Ram temple hype. “It is only a perception that the opposition has created. If they think they can ride to success on these two factors, they should know that people are tired of hearing the same thing over and over. There may be a saffron wave in north India; in south India it is just a façade,” Ranjith Reddy adds before going on stage to address a large gathering of party workers at a swank convention centre in Maheshwaram.
In 2019, he beat Vishweshwar Reddy, then with Congress, by a slender margin of little over 14,000 votes.
While symbols have changed on both sides, the fight continues to be between the two cash-rich Reddys, with BRS falling off the radar. Many believe this could give an edge to Congress in a constituency with roughly 3.5 lakh Muslim votes.
The familiar ‘hand’ symbol is another advantage for the party — something even the opposition acknowledges.
“Though people know Modi and me, they are not very aware of the lotus symbol. That will be a challenge, especially in the rural belt,” says Vishweshwar, as he turns to address a waiting audience. “Cheyyi ki vote esthe chempadebba, padtadi anduke mee votu kamalam gurtu ki veyyandi (If you think you’ll get slapped if you vote for the hand, vote for the lotus),” he repeats multiple times twirling his fingers to make a flower.