Upset Loyalists Pose Threat : Rebel trouble looms large in TRS

Hyderabad: City TRS leaders are unhappy with the announcement of candidates for some of the Assembly seats in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits. They are contemplating to contest as rebel candidates. 

As promised, TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao has allotted tickets to the sitting MLAs and this has led to rebel trouble for the party with in-charges staking claims to the seats. 

They are upset since the MLAs who were given tickets were not original TRS MLAs but those who had migrated to the TRS from other parties after winning the elections in 2014. 

According to party sources, there is rebel trouble for the party in more than half a dozen constituencies in GHMC limits. 

In Kukatpally, the party has given ticket to the sitting MLA M Krishna Rao, who had come from the Telugu Desam Party. 

The TRS candidate in 2014 was G Padma Rao and this time Kukatpally Corporator Pannala Kavya’s husband Harish Reddy is seeking the ticket. 

The party has announced M Gopinath for the Jubilee Hills Constituency. However, several corporators are against his candidature and have threatened to defeat Gopinath. 

Similarly, the in-charge for Qutbullahpur, K Hanmanth Reddy, who had contested unsuccessfully in the last election, was expecting the ticket this time again but the party leadership gave the ticket to the sitting MLA K P Vivekanand. Sources close to Hanmanth Reddy said he was preparing to contest as a rebel candidate. 

The Malkajgiri constituency has become a bone of contention for the TRS leaders. The party has not yet declared the candidate but has finalised the name of daughter-in-law of Kanaka Reddy, the sitting MLA. 

However, the party’s city head and MLC Mynampally Hanumanth Rao is also expecting the ticket from the Malkajgiri constituency. 

Similar is the case in Sherilingampally, where TRS leader Jagadish Goud is demanding the ticket opposing sitting MLA Arekapudi Gandhi, who came from the TDP.

In Medchal, the party is yet to announce the candidate, where the sitting MLA is M Sudheer Reddy. According to sources, the party has kept this seat vacant to accommodate Congress leader K Laxma Reddy, who is said to be joining the TRS. 

In other constituencies, where there are no former TDP leaders, there are at least two candidates aspiring for the tickets. 

In Musheerabad, the Home Minister wants his son-in-law and Ramnagar Corporator Srinivas Reddy to be fielded as TRS candidate. TRS leader Mutha Gopal, who contested in 2014, is also seeking the ticket from here.

Too many candidates are in the race for the Goshamahal seat. The party reportedly is contemplating to field former minister Danam Nagender from here. 

However, Musi Riverfront Development Corporation chairman Prem Singh Rathore and Prem Kumar Dhoot, who has contested in 2014 elections have also set eyes on the seat.

IT Minister K T Rama Rao has been pacifying the agitated TRS leaders. However, some of them are refusing to fall in line and the party leaders feel that they would play spoilsport in the elections if they are not stopped.