KHAMMAM: The Congress party, if sources are to be believed, is planning to rope in Telugu Desam Party polit bureau member and former MP Nama Nageswara Rao and field him from Khammam Parliamentary constituency. AICC president Rahul Gandhi has talked on the phone with Rao and asked him to take on the TRS candidate from the constituency on behalf of Congress. Rao has been invited to New Delhi to discuss his entry into the grand old party.
Rahul Gandhi, sources said, is very keen on Congress winning Khammam. His enthusiasm can be explained by his party’s recent great performance in the Assembly elections. The party, it seems, still has quite the voter base in the region. However, this base is at the risk of erosion by TRS as three MLAs from Congress and TDP from the region have already defected to the ruling party.
Nama Nageswara Rao is not an MLA currently, he was defeated by TRS’ Puvvada Ajay Kumar from Khammam Assembly constituency. But Congress seems to have zeroed in on him as Rao gave Kumar a tough fight. Also, Rao has been an MP before, representing Khammam between 2009 and 2014. Congress also wants to tap into the Kamma voter base through Rao. But Nageswara Rao’s candidature will not be without obstacles. Senior Congress leaders like Renuka Chowdhary, MLC Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and businessman Gayatri Ravi have also been lobbying hard.