KARIMNAGAR: As speculation is rife that the former MLA Arepalli Mohan is planning to return to Congress from the ruling TRS, confusion prevails in both the grand old party as well as the pink party in the Manakondur Assembly constituency.
The former government whip, who shifted his loyalties from Congress to TRS a few years ago, is reportedly unhappy with the way he is being treated in the pink party. But what sparked the speculation that he is trying to stat active politically and return to the Congress fold ahead of the next Assembly elections. He has been visiting villages in the constituency and trying to interact with as many people as possible.
Though it remains to be seen if Mohan is really planning to jump ship, there is already opposition to such a move. District Congress president Kavvampalli Satyanarayana, who is aspiring for Manakondur ticket said: “Arepalli Mohan was trying his best to return to our party. But the party high command has said no to his opportunistic politics. This is was also brought to the notice of TPCC president A Revanth Reddy and he said that Mohan will not be welcomed back.”
Mohan, on the other hand, said it was the other way round, implying that it was Congress which wants him to return. “Senior Congress leaders are inviting me to return to the party. But I have not accepted their invitation,” he said and added that he was confident of contesting from Manakondur in the next elections as a TRS candidate. The political rivalry between Mohan and Satyanarayana goes a long way. In 2018 too, both the leaders vied for Congress ticket to contest from Manakondur. Though the party chose Mohan, he eventually lost to TRS candidate Rasamayi Balakishan.