One specific victory in the Telangana municipal polls surprised political observers and the media alike: the All India Forward Bloc winning Vaddepalli municipality in Jogulamba-Gadwal district. It was unclear how the leftist party, which has lost its presence even in its traditional strongholds like West Bengal, managed to capture an urban local body in Telangana. Out of 10 wards in Vaddepalli, the Forward Bloc won eight, while the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi shared the remaining two seats.
However, a little online research showed that the party could win the municipality with the backing of Kalvakuntla Kavitha, daughter of K. Chandrasekhar Rao, president of BRS. Kavitha has had clashes with her brother K.T. Rama Rao, the working president of the party, and her cousin T. Harish Rao, another senior leader. Media reports suggest she is planning to float a new political party, “Telangana Jagruti”, in April.
Kavitha is learnt to have entered into an understanding with the Forward Bloc to field her supporters under its banner, as she does not yet have a registered party or election symbol. Speaking to The Week, T. Devarajan, general secretary of the AIFB, said the party accepted Kavitha’s proposal but asked the candidates to take Forward Bloc membership before contesting the polls.
In the recent past, the Forward Bloc had also given an MLA ticket to former BRS leader Jalagam Venkat Rao, who contested from Kothagudem in the 2023 Assembly elections.
Political analysts believe the Vaddepalli municipality win marks Kavitha’s attempt at a political comeback. The BRS, the party she once belonged to, managed to win only 15 municipalities. The Forward Bloc victory is therefore seen as an image booster for Kavitha, who has been under sustained political pressure following her differences with the party leadership.
