ADILABAD: Internal divisions have emerged among BJP leaders in the erstwhile Adilabad district over the selection of candidates for the upcoming General Elections. The four BJP MLAs from the district find themselves split into two groups on this matter.
Nirmal MLA A Maheshwar Reddy, Mudhole MLA P Rama Rao Patel and Sirpur MLA Pallvai Harish are backing sitting MP Soyam Bapu Rao, while Adilabad MLA Payal Shankar is opposing his candidature.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won four Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana, Adilabad being one of them.
Recently, the BJP high command confirmed candidates for nine seats. However, Bapu Rao’s name did not figure in the BJP’s first list, sparking speculations that the party may change its candidate for the Adilabad seat.
As many as 42 aspirants submitted their applications for the Adilabad Lok Sabha seat. The BJP high command is currently in the process of sorting through the list. Adilabad MLA Payal Shankar and former market committee chairman Jadhav Rajesh Babu have started their campaigns, hinting indirectly that Rajesh Babu will be the candidate for the Adilabad seat.
Godam Nagesh, once part of the BRS, is now lobbying for the BJP ticket. However, many in the BJP are not confident that he could win, considering that he faced defeat at the hands of Bapu Rao in 2019.
Other contenders include former MP Rathod Ramesh and tribal leader Naitham Sumalatha.
Dr Sumalatha has been actively lobbying for the ticket, leveraging goodwill earned through her services. Even Bapu Rao is reportedly worried about her strong bid for candidacy.