HYDERABAD: The AICC’s Central Election Committee (CEC) on Monday announced the candidature of Kadiyam Kavya, the daughter of Kadiyam Srihari, as its candidate for the Warangal Lok Sabha seat. The announcement came days after Kavya and her father shifted loyalties to the grand old party.
The CEC meeting held in New Delhi on Monday was attended by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. So far, the Congress has given tickets to a total of six candidates who shifted loyalties from other parties.
Interestingly, of the three SC reserved seats — Peddapalli, Nagarkurnool, and Warangal — the Congress has allocated tickets to the non-Madiga community which is among the numerically larger communities categorised as SC in Telangana. The Congress has given Peddapalli and Nagarkurnool to leaders from Mala community.
To offset any negative fallout, the party is learnt to be planning to induct an MLA from the Madiga community in the Revanth Reddy Cabinet or to give a nominated post of Cabinet rank.
According to sources, the Congress has shortlisted candidates for two of the three remaining Lok Sabha seats in Telangana during the CEC meeting. They said that the Congress is considering a former minister in the BRS government for the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat. The party is holding discussions with the said BRS leader.
According to sources privy to the developments in the CEC, the AICC is likely to announce the candidates for Hyderabad and Karimnagar seats any time soon.
However, the deadlock continues over the Khammam segment as the number of contenders are many. The sources said that the CEC will meet again on April 9 and decide the candidate for Khammam.
The Khammam ticket is coveted by family members of three ministers — Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy’s brother Prasad Reddy, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s wife Mallu Nandini and Thummala Nageshwara Rao’s son Yugandhar. Veteran leaders V Hanumantha Rao and Jetti Kusuma Kumar are also among the aspirants for the seat.
Later in the day, the chief minister along with the deputy chief minister called on AICC general secretary KC Venugopal and discussed various election- related issues such as Tukkuguda public meeting, poll
management, AICC manifesto and Telangana-specific issues to be incorporated in the manifesto, and new entrants into the party.