KHAMMAM: The Congress has run into rough weather in the district, with rebel leaders out to contest as Independents and the party needing to buckle down to the task of talking them out of it.
One such raising the banner of rebellion is Jalagam Venkata Rao, Sattupalli legislator and son of former chief minister Jalagam Vengal Rao. He told Express he will be filing his nomination for the Khammam Assembly constituency where the Congress has decided to field sitting legislator Younus Sultan.
Jalagam Venkat Rao had begun cultivating the people of Khammam constituency almost two years back -- that is as soon as it became known that Sattupalli constituency had been reserved for SCs. He set up an office in Khammam town, receiving representations and attending to problems thus brought to his notice.
His hopes of getting a ticket in town were shattered with announcement as candidate of Younis Sultan, who is known to have good relations with both Renuka Chowdhary and chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.
An irate Venkat Rao announced today that he would file his nomination tommorow. Speaking to Express, he said he and his family "had a duty towards the people of Khammam district".
Moreover, Khammam was a “natural choice" as he enjoyed tremendous public support.
Indeed, Venkat Rao has done his homework well over the last couple of years and is bound to bring a division in Congress votes, badly spoiling the chances of the sitting legislator because the constituency is already witnessing a triangular contest between the Congress, Grand Alliance and the PRP. Venkat Rao’s foray will make it a fourway fight, and so much more difficult.
While this is the situation in the Khammam Assembly constituency, Renuka Chowdhary has a tough battle ahead with Nama Nageswara Rao of the TDP. On top of this she is likely to be confronted with the consequences of her alleged meddling in the allotment of the Pinapaka Assembly seat in the district.
Former legislator and former ZP chairperson Chanda Lingiah, who has considerable clout in the district, has decided to contest the Khammam parliamentary constituency as an Independent, with the sole aim of defeating Chowdhary whom he said had dashed his chances of the Pinapaka ticket.
With the situation so fraught in both the Khammam Assembly and Parliament segments, the Congress high command will need to put on its thinking cap and pacify the rebels or else defeat will be a very strong possibility.
