KHAMMAM : With as many as three ministers lobbying intensely to get Khammam ticket to their kin, the Congress leadership is under tremendous pressure in finalising the candidate for this prestigious segment in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Besides the family members of the ministers, there are multiple other aspirants for Khammam ticket as many of them believe that it will be a cakewalk for the Congress in this constituency.
The three ministers who are seeking Khammam ticket for their kin are Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Rao and Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao. While Vikramarka is seeking ticket for his wife Nandini, Srinivasa Reddy is trying to promote his brother Prasad Reddy and Nageswara Rao is backing his son Yugandhar.
Though the Congress is yet to make an official announcement, followers of these three ministers have started a social media campaign, suggesting that their respective candidates have received the backing of the party high command.
Nandini, in fact, took to social media on Wednesday, claiming that the Congress leadership has already finalised her name and it will soon make the announcement allotting the ticket to her.
Veteran leader and former PCC chief V Hanumantha Rao, who is also eyeing the Khammam segment, alleged that Vikramarka is trying to stop the leadership from allotting the ticket to him.
Meanwhile, Prasad Reddy and Yugandhar have started visiting villages across the Khammam constituency and are reaching out to people with the objective of convincing them to support Congress in the elections.
Among other contenders for the Congress ticket in this segment are party’s Khammam town unit president Md Javed and district unit president P Durga Prasad.