There is a proverb that says ‘A Win is a Win no matter you bwon by an inch or a centimeter’
Political observers claim that joining up with the Communist Party of India in an assembly where the Left party has significant power was what made the TRS successful.
Although the governing Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) triumphed in the Munugode by-election after a tense race against the BJP, the Congress’s victory was the main story of the by-election.
The results of the elections highlight the party’s downward spiral in a state that was previously a significant source of its electoral strength, supporting its two consecutive mandates at the centre in 2004 and 2009.
Telangana was split off from Andhra Pradesh in 2014, and despite the fact that former Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was frequently given credit for its creation (including by TRS leader and Chief Minister KCR), the Congress was unable to benefit politically from it.
The Congress was completely eliminated in Andhra Pradesh as a result of the state’s ire over splitting and losing Hyderabad.
The party took home 19 of the available 117 assembly seats in Telangana’s 2018 elections. In 2019, Uttam Kumar Reddy transitioned from MLA to MP. The Congress only had six seats after 12 MLAs defected to the ruling TRS, which already held a solid majority.
By splintering the parliamentary party, the rebels were able to dodge punishments under the anti-defection statute. As it lost its standing as the assembly’s opposition party, the Congress watched in humiliation.
In this environment, Munugode started to show up as a test case for the national party to demonstrate that it was still relevant in the state.
When Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy won the 2018 election, Munugode was a stronghold for the Congress. In August of this year, Mr. Reddy defected from the party and joined the BJP.
Palvai Sravanthi, whose father had long-served the region, was chosen by the Congress. At a time when the TRS and BJP were seen making significant bets on alcohol, they also anticipated that the 1.2 lakh women voters would back her.
The Congress, however, lacked the resources to compete financially with the TRS and BJP. Its leadership divided their focus between the by-election and Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which travelled through the state one week before the elections.
Rahul Gandhi avoided the Munugode campaign even though he was in the state. Senior leaders discounted it as “just a bypoll,” which was in stark contrast to the TRS, which battled as if the future of its government relied on it.
It looks as though the Congress will lose the narrative of even being in the running to form the government in 2023, even with the caveat that a bypoll cannot be considered as a trendsetter for an assembly election given its dismal third-place finish in Munugode.
According to political experts, the TRS’s success in an assembly where the Left party wields significant power was a result of its collaboration with the Communist Party of India (CPI).
The TRS was able to get votes from people who wanted to see former MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal eliminated as a result of their resentment over his decision to change sides.
Locals claim that Mr. Rajagopal’s success was not attributable to the BJP but rather to his own brand and the reputation he built via charitable giving.
Many claim that the TRS would not have triumphed if Mr. Rajagopal had run again as either an Independent or Congress candidate.
