MAHABUBABAD: Porika Balram Naik’s is a remarkable story. The Congress leader, who began his career as a police constable, was elected as an MP in his very first outing in the elections from Mahabubabad and then went on to serve as a minister of state in the Manmohan Singh’s Union Cabinet. However, Balram Naik will be facing a crucial time on April 11 when Telangana goes to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.
Naik is already under tremendous pressure after having lost the 2014 election to TRS candidate Azmeera Seetharam Naik and the recent Assembly election to B Shankar Naik.
With TRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao putting all out effort to win all the parliamentary constituencies in the State, Balram Naik is likely to get stiff competition from pink party candidate.
Meanwhile, Congress high command nominating Balram Naik as party candidate from Mahabubabad Parliamentary constituency has not gone well with the local leaders, who feel that it was not right on the part of party leadership to give ticket to former MP after losing Assembly polls.
TPCC member and senior adivasi leader Chimala Venkateshwarlu and All India Adivasi Congress vice-president T Bellaiah Naik have been openly opposing the candidature of Balram Naik. In fact, Venkateshwarlu warned that he would be forced to contest poll as rebel if the party high command fails to replace Naik.
However, Naik claims that he would emerge victorious this time as he had done a lot of work in the constituency during his tenure as MP and union leader. “I am 100 per cent sure of my victory. Let TRS field anyone, I am prepared to defeat them. I have been touring all the Assembly constituencies under Mahabubabad parliamentary constituency and getting good feedback from the people,” Naik told Express.