HYDERABAD: By the time the filing of nominations ended, the political discontent that swept through prominent leaders and their close followers led to the switching of allegiances from their party.
In the BJP, dissension erupted among the ranks of MLA and party’s election management committee chairman Eatala Rajender’s close associates. Former MLA Enugu Ravinder Reddy and former Karimnagar ZP chairperson Tula Uma left the party, levelling accusations of neglect and lack of accommodation.
Ravinder Reddy joined the Congress and is set to contest from the Banswada Assembly segment, while Uma, after being denied a B-form by the BJP, joined the BRS in the presence of the party’s working president KT Rama Rao.Sources said both leaders are disillusioned with Rajender, who they believed failed to effectively lobby for them despite their showing their loyalty to him.
Simultaneously, the disquiet brewing in the Congress camp among close associates of TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy led to Patel Ramesh Reddy contesting from Suryapet under the All India Forward Bloc banner. Ramesh claims that despite a longstanding association with Revanth, he has been consistently overlooked in favour of other candidates, this time being Ramreddy Damodhar Reddy.
Adding to the discord within Congress, Somasekhar Reddy, a political ally who played a crucial role in the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha elections, was refused the ticket for the Uppal Assembly seat. Somasekhar accused Revanth of selling tickets.
ZPTC member Ganta Ramulu, close to Revanth Reddy, joined Congress initially but shifted to the BRS after failing to secure a ticket. Similarly, Subhash Reddy, a follower of Revanth from Yellareddy Assembly constituency, rejoined the BJP and in the fray for the coming elections. Senior leaders from both parties agree that addressing the grievances of key supporters is crucial and that the parties failed to actively engage with their dissatisfied members and resolve internal conflicts.