Kothagudem: Lobbying for TRS dist prez post intensifies

Kothagudem: With the TRS leadership going ahead to strengthen its party structure by revamping village to state-level by reconstituting new committees, the race for Kothagudem district president post has intensified.

It may be noted that the party executive committee meeting chaired by Chief Minister and TRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao on august 25 had decided to reconstitute the party committees commencing on September 2 and to complete the process at the end of the month.

Several leaders aspiring for the post have started lobbying for the post through the party channels to which they are connected with. In the district, the competition is between the old timers and those who newly joined the party. There are about half a dozen names of leaders doing rounds in the party circles for the district president post. Among them the name of an old timer, More Bhasker Rao, who is aspiring for the post is in the prominence.

He joined TRS in the presence of KCR in the year 2001 and since then he served the party in different capacities such as State secretary, district secretary and as Kothagudem town president. It is believed that he has good relations with the party chief in view of his active participation in the Statehood movement during which he was imprisoned several times and faced as many as 16 police cases.

Bhasker Rao who belongs to a dalit community had also worked as TRS affiliated trade union, Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) central committee member. He campaigned for the party in several elections, including GHWC polls where he was the only TRS leader to be elected as councillor in Kothagudem Municipal election in 2014. He actively participated in the movement against annexation of seven submerged mandals of Polavaram-Indira Sagar Irrigation Project to AP. He also served as Palle Bata programme Kothagudem Assembly constituency in-charge.

On the other hand, the names of seniors like district library chairman, Dindigala Rajender and the ZP vice chairman, K Chandrasekhar Rao, who both served as the district president in Khammam district, are also competing for the post. Among the newcomers, DCC bank director, T Brahmaiah, who joined the party in last parliament elections, an educationist, JVS Chowdary who joined TRS in 2013 and Kothagudem MLA's V Venkateshwar Rao's son, V Raghavendra Rao are said to be aspiring for the post. According to the party sources, the TRS cadres are of the opinion that the district president post shall be given to any old timer so that the party's base can be strengthened in the days to come. Many have shared their views with the party working president KT Rama Rao in this regard.