Andhra Pradesh

Nagendar's party swap focus of campaign

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 26. With Ganesh festivities reaching a crescendo, the Congress candidate for the Asifnagar byelection, D. Nagendar, has been busy milking the religious fervour for one of the biggest tests he has ever faced in his political career.

The last three days, he has been holding meetings with pandal organisers and local people in a big way in different blocks of the constituency and explaining to them why he had to switch sides in the Assembly elections. "I made a mistake, but I have realised it. You know me as your man and my contribution to the development of the constituency has been immense," he told one such meeting held in B Block here on Sunday.

`Sincere Congressman'

He was at pains explaining that he was a sincere Congressmen but was forced to quit the party when certain forces tried to deny him the Assembly ticket though he was elected twice earlier from the same constituency. He had shown loyalty to the party by quitting his Assembly membership before seeking re-entry into the Congress.

In the face of an anti-incumbency wave, the Asifnagar voters elected Nagender for the third time in a row, even after he had left the Congress and entered the fray as the TDP candidate in the last minute. However, he won the election by a rather narrow margin of 3,700 votes over his MIM rival and the bypoll was necessitated following his resignation from the seat as the TDP MLA. Nagender won from Asifnagar constituency as Congress candidate in 1994 and 1999 elections when he was the lone Congress MLA from City.

MIM tune

The MIM caravan, too, has hit the road carrying out door-to-door campaigns with the Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi, in the vanguard along with the party candidate, Mohd. Moazam Khan. Invariably, their theme rallies around the Congress candidate and his `chameleon like attitude.' "The last elections, you have seen for yourself his turncoat attitude. Will you prefer consistency and someone who can work for the constituency or an unreliable politician?" they asked.

Symbol trouble

While it has been maintaining that Congress is no competition to it and the fight is between the Telugu Desam and MIM, the party found itself in a piquant position with the party symbol, kite, going to its archrival, Majlis Bachao Tehreek. Khayam Khan, who unsuccessfully contested from the Chandrayangutta Assembly segment, is also testing waters from Asifnagar.

Settling scores

Stung by the sudden reversal of Mr. Nagendar jettisoning the party, the Telugu Desam Party, which has fielded Telugu Yuvatha leader, Arvind Kumar Goud, is also keen on settling scores with him.

The party chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu, himself launched the party campaign and a host of former Ministers are camping in the constituency to ensure Mr. Goud's success.

With none of the Congress top leaders campaigning for Mr. Nagendar, he seems to be the lone warrior in the bitterly fought four-corner contest.

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