Congress top guns fail to fire despite Sonia Gandhi rally

Barring Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and party campaign committee chairman Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, almost all the top guns of the Grand Old Party bit the dust as a KCR wave swept Telangana.

Congress stalwarts, including an ex-Union minister, a former deputy CM, two working presidents, opposition leaders in the assembly and legislative council, two AICC secretaries and former ministers and prominent women leaders, were washed away in the pink tide.

A majority of these big guns were in the race for the chief minister’s post in the event of a kutami victory. Congress lost even the Medchal seat where UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had addressed a huge public meeting.

Brand KCR withstood the high-decibel campaign mounted by biggies such as Sonia, Rahul Gandhi, Chandrababu Naidu and M Kodandaram.

One of the most unexpected defeats was that of seventime legislator, ex-minister and CLP leader K Jana Reddy from Nagarjunasagar, at the hands of TRS’s Nomula Narsimhaiah. Another big defeat was that of Congress working president A Revanth Reddy, who lost Kodangal to Patnam Narender Reddy of TRS.

Congress also saw its prominent Muslim face and leader of the Opposition in the legislative council, Md Ali Shabbir, lose from Kamareddy. Even strong Telangana protagonist and ex-minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy lost to K Bhupal Reddy of TRS in Nalgonda constituency.

KCR and TRS had worked overtime to defeat Revanth Reddy, SA Sampath Kumar and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, all vociferous critics of the chief minister.

Prominent women leaders from Congress too tasted defeat, with ex-minister D K Aruna losing in Gadwal and J Geetha Reddy in Zaheerabad.