HYDERABAD: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, a virtual mini battle is taking place between top leaders of the Congress, including ministers, regarding the selection of candidates for three segments.
The top leaders are reportedly lobbying hard to get tickets for their preferred candidates.
For instance, intense lobbying is on for Khammam ticket. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s wife Nandini and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy’s brother Prasad Reddy have already applied for this ticket.
Both Vikramarka and Srinivasa Reddy are believed to be trying their best to get the high command’s nod for Nandini and Prasad respectively.
Interestingly, Vikramarka’s brother Mallu Ravi too is eyeing a ticket. Ravi, who was appointed as the state government’s special representative in Delhi, resigned from the post as he was aspiring for a ticket. He wants to contest from Nagarkurnool segment.
Now the situation is such that the party’s state leadership is now under tremendous pressure in finalising the Khammam candidate.
According to sources, if Mallu Ravi gets the party nod, Nandini is unlikely to be considered for Khammam ticket. There is also a caste equation in allocating tickets in the three reserved segments.
Nagarkurnool, Warangal and Peddapalli are the reserved seats. If Nagarkurnool ticket is allotted to Mallu Ravi, who belongs to Mala community, the other two segments are likely to be allotted to Madiga community leaders.
Meanwhile, former MLA and AICC secretary SA Sampath Kumar is also in the race for the Nagarkurnool ticket. If the party allots this ticket to Sampath, who belongs to Madiga community, the party’s Mala community leaders have a chance of getting Peddapalli or Warangal ticket.
In Karimnagar segment, it is a battle between a Velama leader and a Reddy leader. Former MLA Algireddy Praveen Reddy is confident of getting the nod as the party preferred to field Ponnam Prabhakar in Husnabad in the recent Assembly polls though he aspired for that ticket. However, he will face a tough competition from senior leader Velichala Jagapati Rao’s son Rajender Rao.
Rajender is very optimistic of getting the ticket as Velama leaders dominated the Karimnagar segment, winning the seat more number of times than leaders from other communities. BC leaders won this seat thrice and a Reddy leader just once.