KCR’s daughter Kavitha is a legislator again, wins MLC bypoll in Telangana by huge margin

Kavitha, who had been away from the political limelight since her Lok Sabha loss last year, won the Nizamabad MLC bypoll securing 728 of the 823 votes cast.

File image of Kalvakuntla Kavitha | Wikipedia

Hyderabad: Former Telangana MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha swept the MLC bypoll at the Nizamabad local body constituency with a thumping majority, ending her 16-month long wait to get back into political action.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader, also Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter, had been away from the political limelight since she lost in the Lok Sabha polls last year. She had been a member of Parliament from the Nizamabad constituency before she lost to BJP’s D. Arvind.

Kavitha won the Nizamabad local bodies MLC election garnering 728 of the 823 votes cast. The BJP’s P. Laxminarayana secured 56 votes and Congress candidate V. Subhash Reddy managed to get 29 votes. There were about 10 invalid votes.

The polling percentage was about 99.64 in the byelection held Friday. Twenty-three people, most of them Covid-positive, reportedly turned up in PPEs to cast their votes. The votes were counted Monday.

TRS win not a surprise

Kavitha’s victory was inevitable and not much of a surprise as the TRS had enough votes among its own elected representatives.  

The electoral college for the seat comprised the representatives of local bodies in undivided Nizamabad district. They include members of the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), councillors, corporators and ex officio members. 

The TRS’ strength in the local bodies is 494. It is followed by the Congress with 140 members, BJP (84), AIMIM (28), independents (66) and others (12). Asad Owaisi’s AIMIM, independents and a few others had extended support to Kavitha.

Both the national parties, however, lost their deposits. What’s even more an embarrassment to both of them is that they could not keep their own flock together.  

Congress, whose strength is 140, managed to get only 29. And BJP, with a strength of 84, got only 56 votes.

Kavitha managed to get 728 votes — which is way past the number projected by the ruling party before the election. It also indicates that a significant number of BJP and Congress members have supported Kavitha in the latest election.

With Kavitha back in action, speculation is rife among political circles that she could be inducted into KCR’s cabinet.  

The bypoll to MLC seat was conducted due to the disqualification of sitting MLC R. Bhupathi Reddy.