Will it Be Padma Vs Sharmila Vs Jaya Sudha in Secunderabad?

Secunderabad assembly seat is fast becoming a crucial seat in Telangana. It is promising to become the venue for a star-studded political show in the upcoming elections. This is a unique seat as it contains a large number of Christian voters and present and former railway employees. The constituency is also home to a significant number of Tamils and Malayalis.

While the BRS has sitting MLA and deputy speaker Padma Rao Goud, the BJP and the Congress are planning to add star power to their campaign. The BJP has already inducted actress Jaya Sudha. She was a former MLA from the same constituency and knows the leaders and influencers from the area. Jaya Sudha’s Christian connections will come handy for her.

But, she has a competition in YS Sharmila. If Congress sources are to be believed, Sharmila could be the party candidate from Secunderabad. This, however, depends on her party - the YSRTC - merging with the Congress Party in Telangana. In case she merges her party, the Congress is likely to field her due to the Christian predominance in the constituency.

What is interesting is that all the three parties, including the Hindu-oriented BJP, are vying for the Christian voters. The BJP wants to even rope in Christian MLAs from Goa and North East to campaign in support of Jaya Sudha, while Sharmila is likely to leverage her strong missionary connections and the influence of her husband Bro. Anil.