Several Telangana ministers are showing little interest in the Jubilee Hills by-election campaign. Party insiders say many of them have gone silent because internal surveys indicate that the Congress might lose the seat. Some leaders are reportedly behaving as if the election is not their concern.
Minister Seetakka has already stopped canvassing and left for a trip to the Netherlands. Ponnam Prabhakar and Uttam Kumar Reddy made brief courtesy visits and didn’t continue campaigning. Ministers Sridhar Babu and Konda Surekha are busy with official work and have stayed away from the ground. Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, who was earlier active, is also missing from the campaign despite public demand for the six guarantees.
Sources say Erragadda in-charge Jupally has been told by Damodar Rajanarasimha that the constituency is his responsibility. Meanwhile, Adluri Laxman, still upset after facing abusive remarks, has decided to stay away from the Somajiguda division.
There are also strong rumours within the party that some leaders secretly prefer candidate Naveen Yadav’s defeat. Whether this internal rift affects the outcome will be clear when voters deliver their verdict on November 14.
