Voice of dissent peaks in BRS

Hyderabad: Though the ruling BRS party has taken the lead in announcing the names of 115 candidates and asked them to jump into campaign fray, the pink party is facing some problems due to the rebellion by some party leaders who could not get the tickets. They are not only openly criticizing the party and the official candidates but are also threatening to quit the party.

In a bid to curb any possible damage, BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao has summoned senior leaders and ticket aspirants from some such constituencies and is trying to pacify them.

One such troubled constituencies is the Patancheru Assembly constituency and KCR has called Neelam Madhu Mudiraj to Pragathi Bhavan on Tuesday. Madhu, who was an aspirant for the party ticket, was upset that the party had ignored the Mudiraj community and gave the party ticket to G Mahipal Reddy.

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Madhu was accompanied by Council Deputy Chairman Banda Prakash Mudiraj. After meeting the party chief, the BRS leader said he had expressed his intentions to contest and sought the ticket. He also claimed that KCR had responded positively to his request and said that he would discuss it with party working president KT Rama Rao after he returns from his US trip. Mahipal Reddy was also present in the meeting.

Some of the senior leaders who did not get tickets are keeping their options open and are contemplating to join the Congress if the BRS leadership does not listen to their views.

Uppal MLA Bethi Subhash Reddy, who was denied ticket, has given a 10-day deadline to the party leadership. He said he would hold a meeting with the party workers after the deadline ends and take a decision on his next move.

The MLA said that he has been working for the party for the last 23 years. “Even a person who is to be hanged is asked what his last wish is. But in my case the high command has not consulted me,” he said. “Along with me, only Padma Rao has been in the party during the period of agitation for separate state from Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts,” said Subhash Reddy. He said he has two options: One is to go to the Congress and the other is to join the BJP.

According to party leaders, senior leader Tummala Nageswara Rao is also looking towards the Congress after being denied a ticket by the BRS. Tummala was expecting a ticket from the Palair constituency. Bhadrachalam Congress MLA Podem Veeraiah said that Tummala had helped in the development of Bhadrachalam and his entry into the Congress will further strengthen it.

Station Ghanpur MLA T Rajaiah said that only time would decide about his future. The BRS leader said that the party leaders wanted him to contest the Lok Sabha and were offering an MLC seat, but he wants to serve people as an MLA.