Social activists try their luck against two-time BRS MLA Gongidi Sunitha in Alair

Assembly Constituency- Alair

District: Yadadri Bhuvanagiri

MLA: Gongidi Sunitha

Reservation: GEN

Total Voters: 2,20,638

Booths: 309

Urban Voters: 7%

Rural Voters: 93%

Male: 50.45%

Female: 49.55%

Caste & Religious Demography

• Gen + OBC: 74.60%
• SC: 17.80%
• ST: 7.60%
• Hindu: 96%
• Muslim: 3%
• Others : 1%

Candidates

Gongidi Sunitha (BRS)

Sunitha was born on August 16, 1969 in Hyderabad to Sarala and Narsimha Reddy, in a lower-middle-class family. She completed her schooling from Wesley Girls High School, Secunderabad and graduated from Osmania University. Sunitha worked in a private company while pursuing her graduation to support her family. She married Gongidi Mahender Reddy, a TRS party member in 2001. She has two daughters. Even after her marriage she continued her job until she joined politics.

Sunitha joined the TRS in June 2001 and won as Yadagirigutta MPTC and MPP from 2001 to 2006. In 2002, she served as the general secretary in the TRS. She served as sarpanch of Vangapally from 2006-2011. In 2009, she became the politburo member of the TRS. In the 2014 Assembly elections, she won with a majority of over 30,000 votes against Budida Bikshamaiah Goud of the INC. In the 2018 Assembly elections, she was re-elected with a majority of 33,086 votes over Bikshamaiah Goud.

Sunitha’s husband Gongidi Mahender Reddy is very active in the TRS and has a strong influence locally. Because of him only Sunitha became MLA twice. Now he is serving as the DCCB chairman for Nalgonda district. Mahendar Reddy also hails from a landlord family background. At present they have a finance business and real estate ventures.

Beerla Illaiah (INC)

Illaiah was born on June 6, 1975 in Saidapur village in the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district. His parents are Beerla Samajaru and Buchamma. He pursued his graduation from Sri Laxmi Narasimha Degree College in 1997. During his academic career, he also embarked on politics and joined the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the INC.

Currently, Illaiah is serving as the incharge of Alair Assembly constituency and also TPCC secretary. He is also carrying out service oriented activities through his Beerla foundation and available to the ground level cadres. For the first time, he is contesting as an MLA from the INC.

Padala Srinivas (BJP)

Srinivas was born on July 6, 1972 in M Turkapally in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district. He attained his graduation of B.Ed from Karnataka’s Gulbarga University in 1993. After his graduation he founded Padala Education Organisation and carried out a variety of community service projects. He played an active role in the Telangana movement and was a staunch supporter of Telangana independence and participated in Sakala Janula Samme.

Srinivas began his political career in 2013 with the TRS. He was appointed as the market committee chairman of Alair in 2018. He shifted his loyalties to the BJP in 2022 while he was serving as the market chairman of Alair. In the 2023 Assembly elections, he is going to face a novice Beerla Illaiah from the INC and two-MLA Gongidi Sunitha of the BRS.

Assembly Constituency information

• Alair is one of the 12 constituencies in the erstwhile Nalgonda district. This Assembly constituency was reserved for SCs till 2009. In 2009, due to delimitation, it became a general Assembly constituency.
• Since 1952, out of the 16 elections, the INC and the INC(I) won five times, the TDP won thrice, the People's Democratic Front (PDF) and the TRS won twice , the CPI and independent candidate once.
• Mothukapalli Narsimhulu won five times consecutively. (Twice as an independent and from the TDP and once from the INC).
• Goud and Reddy communities are politically and financially dominant.
• Goud, Yadav, Kuruma, Padmashali and Madiga have majority votes in the constituency.
• Fredoom fighters Arutla Kamaladevi and Arutla Ramachandra belong to this constituency
• People of this Assembly constituency fought with Nizams in the past.

Cultural/Historical/Religious Identifiers

• Yadadri Temple
• Rajapet fort
• Kolanpaka Jaina stupas

2014 Assembly Elections Analysis:

Sitting MLA Budhida Bikshamaiah from the INC failed to fulfill the promises he had made during the 2009 Assembly elections. Bhongir MLA Pailla Shekar Reddy planned to contest from Alair in the 2014 Assembly elections as he established water plants in villages in and around Alair. Later, he shifted to Bhuvanagiri.

In the 2014 Assembly elections, Kuruma and Yadav communities voted for the TRS. Gongidi Sunitha got the TRS ticket from Alair for her efforts in the Telangana agitation movement. She won with an 18 per cent margin because local sentiment was very strong in the constituency. Goud and Padmashali communities voted for the INC. BJP candidate Kasam Venkateshwarlu secured very low vote share as the BJP lacked a strong cadre and prominent leaders.

2018 Assembly Election Analysis:

In the 2018 Assembly elections, Gongidi Sunitha despite having anti-incumbency, won as she accused INC candidate Bikshamaiah Goud with corruption charges and was involved in land grabbing and forgery cases. This campaign helped her ruin the opposition's image.

The sheep distribution scheme benefited the Kuruma community which is one of the major communities in the constituency. The TRS got a majority of votes from Kuruma community in the 2018 elections and the INC secured votes from the Gouds because the INC candidate was from Goud community.

BJP candidate Donthiri Sridhar Reddy secured a few votes that too from Yadagirigutta and Alair town.

The BJP lacks a strong leader in the constituency and local leaders did not actively participate in increasing the ground-level cadre. They even failed to campaign properly during the elections. People from Kuruma, Yadav, Mudiraj, Reddy community voted for the TRS. A majority of the people from Goud, Padmashali, SC communities are inclined towards the INC.

Current Situation

INC: Former INC candidate Budidha Bikshamaiah Goud joined the TRS after being defeated in the 2018 Assembly elections. Beerla Ilaiah of the Kuruma community is serving as the Assembly segment incharge of the INC and contesting on behalf of the party. Majority of the people from the Kuruma caste are actively participating in all meetings of Beerla Illaiah. He established the Beerla foundation through which he is extending financial assistance and other services for poor people in the segment.

BRS: Kuruma caste was previously attracted towards the TRS and is now shifting their stand towards the INC. Goud community which earlier supported Bikshamaiah Goud while he was in the INC is now supporting the BRS after he joined the party.

BJP: Motkupalli Narsimhulu left the BJP. It is a major loss to the BJP. Being a Madhiga leader he has good followers in the constituency. Padala Srinivas who is contesting on behalf of the BJP lacks a detailed political knowledge of the constituency, other than serving as market committee chairman of Alair.

Key Local Issues

• Alair Bus stop issue
• Road widening issue in Yadagirigutta
• Underground drainage facility
• Renovation of Aler vagu or Pedhavagu.
• Poor condition of Aler to Kolanpaka road.
• Government hospital in Alair