Congress relies on sympathy factor to defeat six-time BRS MLA Koppula Eshwar in Dharmapuri

Assembly Constituency- Dharmapuri

District: Jagital

MLA: Eshwar Koppula (BRS )

Reservation: SC

Total Voters: 2,14,109

Booths: 269

Urban Voters: 0%

Rural Voters: 100%

Male:49.26 %

Female: 50.74 %

Caste & Religious Demography

• Gen + OBC: 75.70%
• SC: 22.10%
• ST: 2.20%
• Hindu: 97.00%
• Muslim:2.30 %
• Others:0.70 %

Candidates:

Koppula Eshwar (BRS)

Koppula Eshwar was born on April 20, 1959 in Kummarikunta village of Julapalli Mandal, Karimnagar district. His parents are Mallamma and Lingaiah. Eshwar pursued his graduation and worked in Singareni Collieries Company Limited for 26 years. He began his political career in 1994 from the TDP. He joined the TRS in 2001 and actively participated in Telangana agitation.

Eshwar was elected MLA from Medaram in 2004 after Mathangi Narsaiah retired. In the by-elections in 2008, he was elected as an MLA from Ramagundam. In 2009, due to delimitation, he migrated to Dharmapuri which is an SC reserved Assembly constituency. He is a six-time MLA and served as the Government Chief Whip and Minister for SC, ST and BC Welfare in KCR’s Cabinet.

Adluri Laxman Rao (INC)

Laxman Rao is a Congress senior leader who contested in the 2014 and 2018 Assembly elections from Dharmapuri and lost both the times. In the 2018 Assembly elections, Laxman Rao lost with a margin of over 450 votes against BRS candidate Koppula Eshwar. He even approached the election commission officials for recounting of votes. But after they denied his plea, Laxman Rao knocked on the doors of Telangana High Court. The issue is still in the court. Earlier, he served as Karimnagar Zilla Parishad chairman and DCC president of Jagtial district and has a strong hold among the people. He is extensively campaigning the six guarantees of the Congress aiming at a maiden victory as an MLA in the constituency.

Sogala Kumar (BJP)

Sogala Kumar, a former senior journalist. In 2004, he began his political career with the BJP. In the 2009 Assembly elections, he contested as an MLA from Dharmapuri and was defeated by Koppula Eshwar. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kumar also contested as an MP from Peddapalli. He was defeated by TRS candidate Venkatesh Netha Borlakunta. Currently, he is serving as BJP national SC Morcha secretary He actively participated in the Telangana movement and was the recipient of the KK Birla Award.

Assembly constituency information

Geography: Dharmapuri is an SC Reserved constituency. After the 2009 delimitation, Dharmapuri became an Assembly constituency. Dharmapuri, Buggaram, Velgathurthi, Pegadapalli, Gollapalli, Dharmaram and as many as 138 villages are in this Assembly constituency.

Background: From 2009, TRS leader Koppula Eshawar was serving as an MLA from Dharmapuri. Major agriculture in the constituency is dependent on rain cultivation, ponds and SRSP (Sriram Sagar Project) irrigation. Paddy is the major crop followed by Cotton and Maize. A solar plant in Abbapur village of Gollapalli mandal and presence of rice mills are high. Gulf migrations are high in this constituency. Once there was a high percentage of Beedi making families in the constituency but many families left the profession in recent times with the economic development. SCs are politically and electorally dominant in the constituency.

Cultural / Historical / Religious Identifiers

Dharmapuri Laxminarsaimha Swamy Devasthanam: Located on the banks of River Godavari. Every year in the month of March and April, devotees across the State throng the temple to celebrate Laxminarasimha Swamy Jatara. Mokshada Ekadashi will be celebrated in the month of December.

Dharmapuri is one of the biggest settlements of vedic brahmins in Telangana for a very long time.

2014 Assembly Election Analysis:

• Koppula Eshwar won the 2014 Assembly election due to his active participation in Telangana agitation and maintained good contacts with booth level cadre.
• Adluri Laxman Kumar (Madiga) from the INC secured as many as 49,157 votes which he was able to secure because of his personal rapport in the constituency, apart from the INC traditional vote bank.
• The BJP-TDP alliance was able to secure 13,000 votes, a majority of the TDP traditional votes.

2018 Assembly Election Analysis:

• In the 2018 Assembly elections, there was a tough fight between the TRS and the INC. However, the TRS won it by a smaller margin of 450 votes.
• Due to sympathy for losing four times in a row, INC candidate Laxman Kumar was able to put up a strong fight with the help of the then ex-MP Vivek Venkataswamy faction in the TRS. At that time, TRS candidate Koppula Eshwar had infight with ex-MP Vivek Venkataswamy. The INC-TDP alliance also helped the INC in this election.
• With no alliance with the TDP, lack of strong organisational strength and poor leadership, the BJP lost its 2014 Assembly elections voting share in this election.

Current Situation

• People in the Assembly constituency are accepting Koppula Eshwar’s candidature as an MLA because of his polite and calm nature. Apart from that he has strong mandal level leadership.
• The INC gained momentum in this Assembly constituency with the induction of A Revanth Reddy as TPCC president and Adluri Laxman is touring regularly in the constituency. Majority of people consider the INC as a strong opponent to the TRS in this constituency due to lack of strong leadership in the BJP.

Key Local Issues

• Government Degree College.
• Intermediate college in newly formed Buggaram mandal.
• Air pollution due to stone crushing units in villages under Velagatoor mandal.
• Sewage water in Dharmapuri is drained into River Godavari.
• Lack of proper internal village connectivity roads.