HYDERABAD/KARIMNAGAR: As it gears up for the upcoming elections, the BRS is witnessing a new trend of ticket aspirants holding meetings, targeting the sitting MLAs.On Wednesday, the ruling party leaders who are opposing the candidature of Jangaon legislator Muthireddy Yadagiri Reddy and his Manthani counterpart Putta Madhu held separate meetings in Hyderabad and Karimnagar respectively.
On a day when Yadagiri Reddy reached Pragathi Bhavan to meet Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, he received a phone call from his supporters, informing him that a group of leaders from the Jangaon segment was holding a meeting at a hotel in Hyderabad to oppose his candidature.
He immediately rushed to the hotel to gather information on who was attending the meeting. As soon as he reached the venue, the leaders concluded the meeting and left for Jangaon. They were reportedly backing MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy’s candidature from the Jangaon segment.
However, speaking to reporters later, Yadagiri Reddy said that Rajeshwar Reddy had assured him in the past that he would not encourage such activities.“Rajeshwar Reddy asked me to ignore such meetings,” he said while exuding confidence that the party would once again field him in the segment.
Five aspirants
Meanwhile, BRS Jangaon district president Sampath Reddy, who too reached the meeting venue, said that he was not supporting the candidature of any leader and that he will abide by the party’s decision. He said that there were as many five aspirants -- Yadagiri Reddy, Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Pochampalli Srinivas Reddy, M Sriramlu and Kumar Goud for the Jangaon ticket.
Sampath Reddy, however, said that he reached the meeting venue as a BRS leader and not in support of any ticket aspirant. He also said that he would work for the success of the candidate selected by BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao.
However, a sarpanch alleged that Jangaon was lagging behind in development and wanted the party to field Rajeshwar Reddy. Another leader, who attended Wednesday’s meeting, said that Jangaon would be developed if Rajeshwar Reddy was given the ticket as he was very close to KCR. Yadagiri Reddy’s opponents claimed that several sarpanches, ZPTCs and other key leaders attended the meeting.