ADILABAD: With the Lok Sabha elections approaching fast, political heat is increasing in the Adilabad constituency. The BJP, which won four Assembly seats in the Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency, is set to see a huge competition from its leaders for the ticket to contest in the upcoming polls. While the BRS has won two Assembly seats, the Congress bagged one.
The BJP, which enjoys a strong following in the erstwhile Adilabad district, is highly hopeful of retaining the LS seat. Against this background, several party leaders in the constituency are fancying their chances as sitting MP Soyam Bapu Rao is facing allegations of corruption and is likely to be denied the ticket in the upcoming polls.
Bapu Rao allegedly misused the MPLAD funds for constructing a house and for his son’s marriage. His credibility suffered further damage when a video of himself telling his party cadre that he had used MPLAD funds for his personal use had gone viral on social media. Though he denied that the voice in the video was his, he lost by 20,000 votes to BRS candidate Anil Jadhav in the Boath segment in the Assembly polls.
Two main contenders
With Bapu Rao’s chances fading, there are two strong contenders for the BJP ticket — former market committee chairman Rajesh Babu and Dr N Sumalatha, the first woman medical doctor from the Adivasi community of the area. Sumalatha, who takes active part in social service activities, has already met the party’s state and central leaders in a bid to secure the ticket.
Rajesh Babu, a native of Bhainsa, joined the BJP from BRS before the Assembly polls and played an active role in the victory of party candidate in the Mudhole Assembly segment.