New Delhi:

After weeks of undertaking poll campaigns for Congress candidates, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was on Sunday seen playing football with college students.

In a video going viral on social media platforms, Mr Reddy, a football lover, can be seen wearing a number 9 “INDIA” jersey — an apparent reference to the Opposition bloc.

Playing the friendly football match with the students at Hyderabad Central University, the 54-year-old politician was seen sprinting for the ball, managing tackles, and making clearances.

: As Weeks Of Campaigning Ends, Revanth Reddy Plays Football With Students

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— NDTV (@ndtv) May 12, 2024

Revanth Reddy became the Chief Minister of Telangana following the Congress’ victory in the state Assembly elections in December last year.

Mr Reddy, who is considered to be close to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, has had stints in the BJP’s student wing, the former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi (then the Telangana Rashtra Samithi) and N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party.

His surge to the spotlight began in 2021 when he was appointed as the president of Congress’ Telangana unit.

Telangana To Go For Lok Sabha Polls On May 13

A high-octane campaign, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top leaders of Congress and BRS, for the Lok Sabha polls in Telangana ended on Saturday.

Telangana will go to polls on Monday to elect 17 Lok Sabha members from the state in a single phase. Over 3.31 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in 35,356 polling stations across the state.

More than 600 candidates, including Union Minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy, are fighting the polls.

The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.

Earlier in the 2019 general elections, Telangana witnessed 62 per cent voter turnout with the BRS (then the TRS) securing nine seats, the BJP winning four and the Congress taking three seats. Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM was able to manage one Lok Sabha seat.

Hyderabad:

As the bugle is sounded for Lok Sabha polls with the announcement of the schedule, the ruling Congress in Telangana and the BJP are geared up for the electoral battle, while the BRS is struggling to bounce back following its defeat in the Assembly elections.

The arrest of BRS founder and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter, K Kavitha, on the eve of the poll schedule announcement seems to have done no good to the already low morale of the party that was in the ruling saddle for 10 years, before losing the elections last year.

Lok Sabha polls, besides Assembly by-elections, will be held in Telangana on May 13.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had earlier said Congress is aiming to get 14 seats while Union Minister Amit Shah has set a target of over 12 for BJP in the upcoming polls. Telangana has 17 Lok Sabha seats. BRS harvested the maximum in 2019, winning 9 of them.

The morale of Congress is high following its victory in the Assembly polls held late last year.

The Congress government, led by Revanth Reddy, is banking on the implementation of its ‘guarantees’ announced before the Assembly elections late last year.

Revanth Reddy, who is also the state Congress president, launched free travel for women in state-run RTC buses and Rajiv Arogya Sri health scheme of Rs 10 lakh for the benefit of the poor within 48 hours after coming to power.

Subsequently, the Congress government kicked off implementation of other promises, including supply of LPG cylinders for Rs 500, free power supply up to 200 units to the poor, Rs five lakh financial assistance to build houses, filling up over 28,000 vacancies in government and approval of caste census, among others.

The ruling party is hopeful that the implementation of the poll ‘guarantees’ would pay rich dividends in the parliament elections.

Congress had won three out of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 elections.

BJP, on the other hand, is optimistic that the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would help its cause in a big way in the hustings.

PM Modi had inaugurated several development projects and addressed public meetings in Telangana earlier this month and held a roadshow in Hyderabad on March 15.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also addressed public meetings in Hyderabad in March.

This paid dividents last year as the saffron party its Assembly presence to eight seats in the 2023 assembly polls from one in 2019, while its vote share rose to a decent 14 per cent, though its hopes of coming to power in Telangana remained unfulfilled.

In an indication of BJP doing well in the present Lok Sabha elections, sitting BRS MPs B B Patil (Zaheerabad) and P Ramulu (Nagarkurnool) joined the saffron party.

The construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya is also expected to help the BJP, while the Congress is hopeful of getting the votes of minorities.

BJP has already announced candidates for 15 out of the total 17 LS seats in the state.

Down after its shock defeat in the Assembly elections, the BRS is plagued by desertion of sitting MPs and some leaders reportedly choosing not to contest in the Lok Sabha polls.

For example, BRS has announced Kasani Gyaneshwar as its candidate from Chevella constituency after sitting MP G Ranjit Reddy allegedly opted out of the contest.

Notably, BRS MLC K Kavitha, daughter of party president and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, also reportedly chose not to enter the poll fray. Incidentally, she lost the 2019 battle also, to BJP’s Arvind Dharmapuri from Nizamabad.

BRS announced former MLA Bajireddy Goverdhan as its candidate from Nizamabad which was represented by Kavitha during 2014 to 2019.

Meanwhile, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, who will seek re-election from Hyderabad, is expected to raise the issue of CAA and other issues during the campaign for the Lok Sabha election.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)