KHAMMAM: Former Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, who had joined the TRS from the Congress, now plans to embark on a padayatra in erstwhile Khammam district sometime in April, to feel the pulse and reconnect with the public.
According to sources, the former MP has more or less resigned to the fact that he faces an uncertain future in the TRS and hence has decided to resign from the party before he starts his padayatra. Sources say that he has already sent hints to his followers to be prepared to accompany him on the padayatra.
The sources say that Ponguleti has received feelers from the BJP as well as the Congress, but he is not too keen to join the saffron party and is inclined towards his former party.
The Congress has retained its cadre and public support in the erstwhile Khammam district and this was clear in the 2018 elections where the party won all except the Khammam Assembly seat.
Ponguleti too retains a following among the voters as he has been in touch with the people. After he was denied the ticket in 2018, he has made it a point to tour both the districts and has been meeting people. His followers regard him as a mass leader.
In 2018, he was overlooked by the TRS and the party opted to give the ticket to Nama Nageswara Rao. During campaigning for the 2019 General Elections, TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao assured him that he would be assigned a prominent role, but this did not fructify. Since then he has been touring the erstwhile district on his own and protecting his cadre.
During the recent Council election too, his political rivals again lodged complaints with the TRS high command that the former MP was working against party candidate. However, Ponguleti’s followers denied these allegations.