Kishan Reddy says municipal elections will be ‘bipolar contest’ between BJP and Congress

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy said that the upcoming municipal elections in Telangana will be a direct contest between the BJP and the ruling Congress, asserting that BRS is “nowhere in the picture”.

Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, he accused Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of making “false and misleading” statements about the BJP and Central funding, claiming the remarks were driven by the growing popularity of the BJP among voters.

Mr. Kishan Reddy said the BRS had “lost public confidence” and “collapsed”, remarking that voting for the party was equivalent to “throwing your vote into the Musi river”. At the same time, he alleged that both the BRS and the Congress were attempting to influence voters by distributing large amounts of money.

The Union Minister challenged the Chief Minister to present a detailed account of his government’s achievements and its progress in fulfilling election promises. “This is the fourth election since he came to power but nothing substantial has been delivered,” he alleged.

Mr. Kishan Reddy sought a judicial probe into the BJP’s Makthal municipal ward candidate Erukala Mahadevappa. He advised the Chief Minister not to “use the BJP as a tool to target others” and said the party would support action if the government proceeds with the arrest of former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in connection with alleged phone-tapping and other irregularities during the previous regime.

He further claimed that both the Congress and the BRS had “mortgaged the honour of Telangana people to Darussalam”, asserting that irregularities during the two parties’ tenures would be investigated if the BJP comes to power.

Accusing Mr. Revanth Reddy of “low-level politics” and “tall claims without action”, he reiterated his offer for a public debate — either at the Secretariat or the Press Club — on Central funding to Telangana over the past 12 years. The Secunderabad MP maintained that the Centre had “never, at any point”, stated it would declare the Palamuru–Rangareddy project a national project.