TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy, a seasoned politician that he is, leaves no room for his rivals to weaken his position in the party. As the party high command is grappling with finalising the list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections, he finds himself outsmarted by senior leaders like MP Uttam Kumar Reddy. There is pressure on him to admit former Manakonduru MLA Arepally Mohan into the Congress. The idea is not to his liking. However, in a smart move, Revanth agreed to the proposal if the senior leaders had no objection to his bringing Kodad BR's leader Shashidhar Reddy into the party. He knows that Uttam would not consent to the move as the constituency is being nurtured by him to pave the way for his wife and former MLA Padmavati’s election.
In another incident that shows how the TPCC chief makes quick moves to checkmate his rival leaders, Revanth ensured the appointment of Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkatreddy and former MP Madhu Yaskhi as members of the Screening Committee. He wanted his voice heard during the committee discussions on ticket aspirants as there is no love lost between him and the other two members — Utttam Kumar Reddy and Bhatti Vikramarka. Revanth lobbied hard for inclusion of Komatireddy and Madhu Yaskhi in the committee. It’s a different matter that the episode created confusion among the others, committee chairman K Muralidharan, Jignesh Mevani and Baba Siddique.
Critic turns friend of KTR
After the formation of Telangana, the voice of Telangana revolutionary singers has become muted as they have found jobs in the government. But, there was one voice that raised its high pitch and sang, ‘Evani Paaliandi ro Telangana’ which roughly translates as ‘who reigns over Telangana’. The singer, Yepuri Somanna, embarked on a voyage appearing on many political stages. But, guess what, he recently met BRS working president KT Rama Rao and that meeting culminated in him joining the pink party on Sunday. Somanna penned songs against KTR and sang them too. However, he finally gave up his fight and joined hands with his political opponents. No permanent friends or enemies in politics!
Inputs: Ireddy Srinivas Reddy, B Kartheek