TRS wins Munugode Assembly by-election by over 10,000 votes

The by-election was a crucial test of strength for both the TRS and the BJP.

TRS supporters celebrating their party’s victory in the Munugode Assembly by-election, in Hyderabad on November 6, 2022. | Photo Credit: G. RAMAKRISHNA

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), formerly known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), won the Munugode by-election on November 6, with Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy defeating Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by over 10,000 votes.

Over 2.25 lakh votes were polled on November 3. The TRS secured 97,006 votes (42.95 per cent), while the BJP got 86,697 (38.38 per cent). In the 2018 election, the BJP candidate had secured only 6.5 per cent of the votes. The BJP’s gains in the latest by-election have been credited primarily to the popularity of Rajgopal Reddy, former Indian National Congress (INC) MLA of Munugode, whose resignation and defection to the BJP had necessitated the by-election.

The INC candidate Palvai Sravanthi obtained 23,906 votes (10.58 per cent), which was lower than what she got as an independent candidate in 2014.

The much-anticipated by-election in Telangana saw a spirited campaign by the major parties in October. From early on, it was evident that the contest was between the TRS and the BJP.

The BJP has been trying to establish itself as an alternative to the TRS in Telangana and has been relying on the Dubbak and Huzurabad by-election wins to further this idea. For the TRS, a win was essential to bounce back from the previous by-election defeats. Consequently, Munugode was crucial for both the parties.