HYDERABAD : BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday announced two more candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He nominated MLC and former IAS officer P Venkatram Reddy for the Medak seat and former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar for Nagarkurnool.
Interestingly, both the candidates are former civil servants and took voluntary retirement during KCR’s regime as chief minister.
As Telangana president of BSP, Praveen Kumar expected Nagarkurnool seat when he started a discussion for an alliance with the BRS. Later, he
resigned from the BSP and joined the BRS. Now, he is the official candidate of the BRS in the segment where the party won just two seats in the recent Assembly elections. The fight is expected to be tough as the ruling Congress is fielding former MP Mallu Ravi while sitting MP Ramulu’s son Bharat is contesting on the BJP ticket.
KCR’s choice of former IAS officer Venkatram Reddy for the Medak seat has come as a surprise. However, in view of latest political developments, including the arrest of his daughter and MLC Kavitha by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor scam case, KCR reportedly wants someone who has close rapport with the BRS cadre and the people in the constituency which he once represented.
Venkatram Reddy fits the bill as he worked as the Collector in erstwhile Medak and Siddipet districts and developed good contacts with leaders and people. The former IAS officer’s financial power has reportedly been taken into consideration by the BRS supremo before allotting the ticket to him.
Party leader Vonteru Prathapa Reddy’s name was also considered as the candidate for Medak by KCR but one of the BRS MLAs and senior leaders opposed the suggestion. The BRS chief is determined to retain the Medak Lok Sabha segment where the party maintained its supremacy by winning six of seven seats in the Assembly elections.
While the BJP is fielding former Dubbak MLA Raghunandan Rao from Medak, the Congress is yet to announce its candidate.