With Congress candidate Konda Surekha's announcement that she would contest from her native constituency Parkal, the fight for power comes down to a battle between the Congress and TRS, unlike the 2014 contest between TDP and TRS. Although the then TDP candidate Challa Dharma Reddy, who won the election with a majority of 9,108 votes, later defected to the TRS leavingthe the ruling party with a daunting task to defeat Konda Surekha.

The former minister returned to her 'fortress' this time around after contesting successfully from Warangal East. She recently returned to the Congress following a fallout with the TRS leadership, which denied the party ticket to her. Having won from Parkal in 2009 and later serving in the State cabinet during Congress rule, Konda Surekha stands a good chance to be elected again, given the popularity of the Konda couple in the region. Her husband Konda Murali, who was also in the TRS until recently, is an MLC.

However, Konda Surekha faced defeat in Parkal in the peak of Telangana agitation in 2012 in the hands of M Bhikshapati, the then TRS candidate. In the 2014 election, Challa Dharma Reddy, who contested on the TDP ticket, polled 67,432 votes against the TRS candidate, Sahodar Reddy (58,324 votes). Will the TDP vote bank shift to the Congress in the upcoming elections is to be seen on December 11.

Watch this space for more updates on Telangana Assembly elections 2018.

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