Telangana civic polls: BJP candidate dies by suicide, party alleges harassment

A BJP candidate died by suicide in Telangana’s Makthal municipality early Tuesday, just a day before civic elections, triggering sharp political allegations and calls for action against Congress leaders.

Yerukala Mahadevappa, a 46-year-old BJP candidate from Ward 6 of Makthal Municipality in Narayanpet district, was found dead at around 5.30 am, police said. According to the police, a case has been registered, and the body has been sent for post-mortem examination. The incident comes on the eve of municipal elections scheduled for Wednesday.

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Police confirmed the death and said investigations were underway to determine the circumstances leading to the suicide.

BJP alleges coercion and intimidation ahead of polls

The BJP has accused local Congress leaders and a sitting minister of sustained harassment, claiming Mahadevappa was pressured to withdraw from the election and forced to switch parties.

Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao alleged that Mahadevappa, who belonged to a tribal community, had been under pressure for several days.

“… Today early in the morning, BJP tribal candidate from ward 6 of Maktal municipality committed suicide because of the harassment by the local minister Vakiti Srihari. He was being harassed by the Congress party leaders for the last many days. He was forced to join the Congress. He somehow came out of their clutches and got a BJP ticket, and he was contesting. He was a BJP worker from the very beginning. Because of the harassment and threats by the local minister and his goons, he committed suicide this morning. BJP condemns this and wants the minister to be suspended and demands his arrest. Also, the tribal commission should take cognisance of this matter…”

Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP K Laxman said the issue was raised in Parliament, pointing to the timing of the incident just before polling.

“The municipal elections will be held tomorrow. Our candidate from Makthal municipality was constantly under pressure from Congress & CM to withdraw his nomination. He committed suicide last night. I raised this matter in the Parliament today. The whole country is seeing how Congress is behaving. Immediate action should be taken in this case.”

Party questions police response, calls incident a threat to democracy

BJP Telangana chief spokesperson and media in-charge NV Subash said Mahadevappa had faced repeated threats and accused the police of inaction despite complaints.

“Yerukala Mahadevappa, BJP’s candidate from Makthal Municipality’s 6th ward and a member of the tribal community, was allegedly subjected to continuous intimidation by Congress functionaries. The BJP will not tolerate such coercive and anti-democratic tactics. Our candidate was reportedly threatened repeatedly, pushing him to an extreme step. This is not an isolated incident but part of a dangerous pattern.

“The police are behaving like Congress cadres, failing to register complaints despite repeated representations by BJP candidates facing threats. If Congress is so confident of sweeping the elections, why this desperation? Is it because the BJP’s rally in Makthal drew unprecedented public support?

“With elections scheduled for tomorrow, this incident exposes the Congress’s fear and its willingness to undermine democracy through intimidation.”