Double trouble for Uttam

Kodad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working President N Uttam Kumar Reddy and his wife Padmavati , the only couple who were given Congress tickets to contest in Telangana, are facing tough time in the election.

Reddy is contesting from Huzurnagar Assembly constituency for second time and his wife Padmavathi has been fielded from Kodad constituency from where the TPCC leader was elected in 1999 and 2004. In 2009, Reddy shifted to Huzurnagar and won from there also.

Located on the border of Telangana and Coastal Andhra regions, Kodad is an amalgamation of Telangana and Andhra culture. The local dialect is an interesting mix of the spoken Telugu in Telangana and Andhra regions. Before being declared as a municipality, it was the biggest Gram Panchayat in Andhra Pradesh. It is a town with great resources and high population density.

In addition to a sizeable pro-YSR Congress sentiment, the BC mantra being chanted by Telugu Desam and the gradual rise of TRS are causing worry for Uttam and his wife. The couple has been sweating it out to see that they win the elections in the triangular contest.

Mother of Telangana martyr Srikantha Chary and the TRS candidate Shankaramma, YSR Congress candidate G Srikanth Reddy and TDP candidate Swamy Goud are pitted against Uttam Reddy. Shankaramma and Srikanth Reddy are ahead in the campaign with a series of public meetings. Even KCR addressed one such meeting. The star campaigner for YSR party Sharmila also campaigned in these constituencies few days back.

The TDP’s promise to make a BC as the Chief Minister of Telangana has revived the hopes of the party in the constituency where the BC voters constitute more than 60 per cent.

The major challenge before the TPCC working President is to convince the voters that the Congress had created T state.

Meanwhile, in Kodad, TDP candidate B Mallaya Yadav and YSR Congress nominee Y Venkata Ratnam claim that Padmavati is a non-local and hence would not be available round-the-clock.