Hyderabad: The knot over selection of candidate for Khammam Lok Sabha segment and the dilemma of the high command shows the perfect power play in place in Telangana's Congress unit.
It is only 140 days since the Congress came to power in Telangana after 10 years of prolonged struggle in India's youngest state. Party senior leader and state deputy chief minister, Mallu Batti Vikramarka and his cabinet colleague, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy are locking horns over Khammam seat.
Vikramarka is the dalit face of the party and a staunch loyalist of Gandhi family, whereas, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy though joined the party recently, comes from the influential Reddy community that had backed the party in Telangana with all the resources in his hand.
Khammam is considered a strong bastion of Congress and along with ally CPI swept all the assembly segments that come under the Lok Sabha segment.
Bhatti Vikramarka wants the seat for his wife Nandini, minister Srinivas Reddy insisting on the seat for his brother Prasad Reddy.
Interestingly, Srinivas Reddy's another close relative, Ramasahayam Rahurami Reddy had filed nomination on Tuesday for Khammam seat. Until now, Congress central leadership had announced names for 14 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats. Candidates for Khammam, Karimnagar and Hyderabad Lok Sabha seats are to be announced.
Another minister from the district, Tummala Nageswara Rao also tried Khammam ticket for his son Yugandhar. But then finally he is said to have quit the race, opening a turf war between Bhatti Vikramarka and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy.
Representatives of the Congress central leadership had also had meetings separately with both Vikramarka and Srinivasa Reddy to diffuse the situation without any breakthrough and success.
“With just a few seats above the magic figure having only a simple majority in the state assembly the party high command cant take any risk at the moment and is unable to decide on which side it would want to take. Remember it is 10 years after the state formation that Congress formed the government in Telangana and sees a lot of future potential for the party in this southern state. That's the reason why Congress central leadership wants to tread the Khammam issue cautiously. It's definitely a tricky situation for Congress in Telangana,” a political analyst who wished not to be named told DH.
BRS had renominated sitting MP Nama Nageswara Rao and BJP fielded a businessman Tandra Vinod Rao. In Khammam the electoral battle is expected to be between Congress and BRS.
Published 24 April 2024, 04:04 IST