Eatala Rajender: Sailing In Two Boats (image: twitter.com/Eatala_Rajender)
Eatala Rajender, former BRS Minister and one of the closest confidante of KCR has contested as BJP candidate in two segments – Huzurabad, and Gajwel. Though Huzurabad is his home constituency, contesting in Gajwel was to prove his mettle by launching his frontal attack against BRS Chief.
Eatala Rajender served as the first Finance Minister of Telangana state from 2014 to 2018 and as the Health Minister of Telangana from 2019 to 2021. The allegations of land encroachments resulted removal of his Ministerial portfolio, following trouncing him from the State cabinet. Consequently, he resigned from BRS party and joined BJP. While placing Eatala Rajender in the fray, BJP is aiming at Gajwel’s 38,000 to 40,000 Mudiraj community community votes, to which Rajender belong. Huzurabad has been his home constituency, and since 2009 he has been contesting from the segment and won each time. Even in the by-election 2021, he contested as BJP nominee, he won the election with 107,022 votes and Gellu Srinivas Yadav of TRS (now BRS) came second with 83,167 votes. In 2023, Eatala Rajender”s rivals are BRS’s Padi Kaushik Reddy and Congress nominee Vodithala Pranav.
The 59-year-old leader joined Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now BRS) in 2003 and in student politics he was identified with left-wing ideology. Though he had a secured spot in Huzurabad, Eatala Rajender decided to meet KCR, his old leader head-on in the election to prove his stature as a strong leader and advance his political prospects in BJP. For this, BJP leader is relying on the vote bank of Backward Community (BC), especially Mudiraj community. Though Gajwel is Chief Minister”s home turf, Eatala Rajender is well aware Mudiraj community”s votes are a deciding factor in the segment. Besides KCR, in Gajwel, he is also pitted against former MLA T Narsa Reddy (Congress).
In Huzurabad, Eatala Rajender”s charisma saved him in the 2021 by-election. But voters report mixed response over choosing Eatala again, as he is contesting in two constituencies, and also people recognises how KCR-led BRS government”s welfare schemes majorly Dalit Bandhu bettered many lives. So Huzurabad won”t be a cakewalk for Eatala Rajender this time.
As he is struggling to sail in two boats, result will reflect his position in the political landscape of Telangana.
