Lok Sabha: Cong finds it tough to decide on Khammam, Karimnagar

Hyderabad : The Congress continues to find it tough to zero in on candidates for Khammam and Karimnagar. As top leaders continue to lobby at AICC, some new names are being heard within the party and are being considered afresh.

According to party sources, in Khammam, Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy have made it a tough task for the AICC to finalise by remaining determined and making efforts to ensure their kin get the ticket. At Karimnagar, the party leadership is scratching their heads over nominating strong candidates from the upper caste, or BC, as the BJP and BRS have fielded strong candidates, namely Bandi Sanjay Kumar and B Vinod Kumar.

While in Khammam, the party is confident about winning, but Karimnagar remains a tough nut to crack. The former Husnabad MLA Aligireddy Praveen Reddy’s name remains under consideration for a while. Praveen, also a former chairman of Mulkanoor Cooperative Bank and Marketing Society Ltd, and his father Kashi Vishwanatha Reddy’s services are notable amongst the farmers of Husnabad. The family enjoys support from the farming community. During the recent Assembly polls, Praveen Reddy also sacrificed Husnabad to Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, after he was promised the Karimnagar MP ticket.

However, given the caste equations, Velichala Rajender Rao, the son of former Karimnagar MLA Jagapathi Rao, Velama’s name is being heard within the party for some time. If the Congress party does a balancing act between Khammam and Karimnagar, the top name under circulation is Teenmar Mallanna (Chintapandu Naveen), a Munnurukapu candidate for BC candidate. It is being said that the Congress may have to pick between Velama and BC, given that BRS candidate B Vinod, also a Velama, and Bandi Sanjay, a Munnurkapu, have made their mark within their castes. Another option that remains at the disposal of the party is giving a ticket to a parachute candidate, similar to neighbouring constituencies like Warangal. The party remains in touch with some of the key leaders from other parties.

Meanwhile, as the ministers wrestle for tickets to kin in Khammam, another name has cropped up: Ramsahayam Raghurami Reddy, the son of Ramasahayam Surender Reddy, known as ‘RS’. The veteran politician Surender Reddy is credited with bringing Ponguleti into the Congress fold. Raghurami Reddy is the co-father-in-law of Ponguleti and also Cinestar Venkatesh. The latest name under consideration is being said to be a middle path to avoid offending Bhatti. A Kamma businessman V V Rajendra Prasad’s name was also under circulation for a long time. He is backed by Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy.