TRS Minister Jogu Ramanna is facing tough competition from rival BJP and Congress candidates in Adilabad assembly segment this time. In 2014 elections, Ramanna was given a stiff fight by BJP nominee Payal Shankar. This time also, Shankar has got the BJP ticket and raring to challenge Ramanna’s bid to secure a fourth consecutive win in the segment.
Jogu Ramanna has got initial advantage as TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao has allotted him ticket in the first phase itself and because of this Ramannna has already completed several rounds of campaigning in the segment. He had got the opportunity to do door to door electioneering in many localities. Moreover, he is banking on the Kalyana Lakshmi, Shadi Mubarak and other welfare programmes launched by the TRS government. Ramanna tells voters that Rs. 5,000 crore worth developmental works were taken up in the past four and half years in the segment and he would take up more works if given another chance.
On the other hand, BJP candidate Payal Shankar is going into the voters on the strength of his personal activities and by highlighting the BJP achievements at the national level. He is confident that the anti-incumbency winds against TRS government will be an added advantage for him. Shankar is also banking on the split of BC vote bank which would damage the prospects of TRS candidate. All the three main contestants are from BC community which is nearly 90,000 strong in the segment.
Congress nominee Gandrath Sujatha is expecting to win the seat with sympathy wave as she could not get good opportunity despite two decades of political career. She is banking on support from rival Congress groups in the face of anti-KCR wave in opposition.