HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has been holding all the Lok Sabha election preparatory meetings of the Congress at his residence. On Wednesday, however, he went to his party MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy’s residence in Hyderabad to attend a meeting on the Bhongir segment.
During the meeting, the CM assigned the responsibility of leading the grand old party’s campaign in Bhongir to Rajagopal Reddy.
According to sources, Revanth went to Rajagopal’s residence to pacify him as he expected the Bhongir ticket to his family members, and to seek support to party’s candidate Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is a close confidant of Revanth.
The CM backed the candidature of Kiran though Komatireddy brothers lobbied hard, seeking the ticket for their family members.
It is pertinent to note that Rajagopal Reddy represented the Bhongir segment in 2009 and his brother Venkat Reddy represented the same constituency in 2019. Thus, the Komatireddy family enjoys a significant electoral clout in this segment.
During the 2022 Munugode by-election, Rajgopal and Revanth were at loggerheads with each other and their animosity continued after that. However, just before the recent Assembly elections, Revanth publicly welcomed Rajagopal into the Congress fold and offered to “climb down two steps” in the best interest of the party.
Now, Revanth went to Rajgopal’s residence and sought support for Kiran Kumar Reddy.
During the meeting, the CM reportedly asked the cadre and leaders to strengthen the party at booth level and campaign extensively in every segment.
Party plans rally on April 21
Later speaking to the media, Rajagopal said that he will hold a series of meetings with ground-level party leaders in all seven constituencies that come under the Bhongir LS segment from April 12 to 18.
He said that Revanth as well as Roads & Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy will attend the party’s nomination rally on April 21.
“We will get two-lakh majority in Bhongir,” Rajgopal said and added that the BJP has no base in the segment.
Priyanka to campaign in Nalgonda in May
AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi is likely to campaign in the erstwhile Nalgonda district, covering Bhongir and Nalgonda Lok Sabha segments, in the first week of May, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy informed his party colleagues during the Bhongir LS segment election preparatory meeting on Wednesday.
The party leaders have decided to hold massive public rallies at Choutuppal, which falls under Bhongir Lok Sabha segment, and Miryalaguda, which comes under Nalgonda constituency. It may be mentioned here that the Congress has won these two segments even when it suffered defeat across the country.
Priyanka’s appearance in the recent Assembly elections fetched good results for the party. For instance, in segments like Palakurthi, which the Congress believed was hard to conquer, the party had a cakewalk after Priyanka campaigned. Sources said that the party would try to organise more such meetings, with Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi addressing those, in the run-up to polls.