The Jubilee Hills by-election campaign is in full swing, with all major parties making last-minute efforts to win voters.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy recently campaigned for Congress candidate Naveen Yadav in Ameerpet. During his speech, he announced plans to install a huge bronze statue of NT Ramarao at Mythrivanam.
Revanth said that everyone in both Telugu States admires NTR. He added that the BRS had earlier blocked the statue’s installation but promised to inaugurate it himself during his term. He also assigned the responsibility to Naveen Yadav.
His announcement is seen as an attempt to attract Kamma and TDP voters through NTR’s legacy. A few days ago, he even met leaders of the Kamma Association to seek their support.
The Kamma community often becomes politically important before every election in Telangana. In 2023, KTR faced backlash for his treatment of protestors after Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest, only to later soften his tone to win over the same community.
Revanth Reddy, too, tried to appeal to Kamma and TDP voters during that time. After Telangana’s formation in 2014, the BRS renamed Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences to Kaloji Narayana Rao University and reclaimed land near NTR Ghat for the Ambedkar statue.
All major parties seem to follow the same playbook ignoring the Kamma community and TDP vote bank for years, only to reach out before elections. This reflects Chandrababu Naidu’s neglect of the TDP in Telangana.
The Telugu Desam Party still has loyal voters, but their loyalty has cost them political presence. The Kamma community remains influential and active across fields, yet politically sidelined because of its attachment to the TDP.
It’s time for the Kamma community and TDP supporters to look beyond the party and engage with other political options. Continuing as a vote bank every election benefits no one.
