NIZAMABAD: A few years ago, several senior Congress leaders of the district played a key role in facilitating the political entry of AICC secretary Madhu Yaskhi Goud -- a potential LS poll candidate face in Nizamabad. Fast forward to 2019: some of these leaders have quit the party and/or have defected, primarily, to the TRS party, making it less likely for Goud to contest. Until 2004, people of Nizamabad were not familiar with Madhu Yaskhi Goud.
It was the then APCC president D Srinivas and other senior party leaders like MD Shabbir Ali, who invited Goud into the district political arena. Wheels of fortune turned in Goud’s favour and as expected by the leaders, he won the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and later retained the seat in the 2009 polls.
Interestingly, most of the leaders who vouched for Goud back in 2004 — KR Suresh Reddy, Bajireddy Govardhan, Akula Lalith — have defected to TRS.
Owing to losing his political support from within the party in the district, it is highly likely that he would not be contesting this time.