Congress party’s Central Election Committee met in New Delhi on Wednesday night and cleared four names for the Lok Sabha elections.
The party has named Congress MLC T. Jeevan Reddy (Nizamabad), TPCC vice-president Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy (Bhuvanagiri), Atram Suguna (Adilabad ST) and Neelam Madhu (Medak). Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy attended the meeting to clear the names. The Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, after attending the CEC meeting, left for Hyderabad.
Of the four candidates, Neelam Madhu, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy and Atram Suguna will be making their electoral debut. Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy is a close aide of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy while Neelam Madhu, a strong BC leader from Patancheru, who was with the BRS till the last Assembly elections, switched sides and joined the Congress. Atram Suguna is a surprise name as the party was finding it difficult to pick up the right candidate.
The next meeting of the CEC will be held on March 31 to clear the names for the remaining Khammam, Karimnagar, Hyderabad and Warangal seats. It may be mentioned here that Khammam and Bhuvanagiri seats witnessed intense competition with the Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti and Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy staking claim to the seat for their family membes.
The Khammam seat issue has almost been settled after the Deputy CM’s brother and TPCC vice-president Dr. Mallu Ravi, who is presently the Special Representative of the Government in New Delhi for Nagarkurnool seat, clearing the decks for Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy’s brother Prasad Reddy to get the nomination. Mr. Bhatti’s wife Nandini too had tried hard but after Dr. Ravi’s announcement, the Deputy CM is said to have mellowed down.
Interestingly, on Wednesday Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy sprang a surprise when he announced that he would fully support former MP and chairman of Campaign Committee Madhu Yaskhi Goud, if he was interested in contesting from Bhuvanagiri seat. Mr. Yaskhi is said to have politely refused to fight the LS polls.
Mr. Rajagopal Reddy, party leaders said, tried to play a strategic game as his wife is also a serious contender for the Bhuvanagiri ticket. The fight is between her and TPCC vice-president Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy. However, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy had the last laugh as he got the nod.
The party, it is said, has recommended single names – Singapuram Indira (Warangal SC), Praveen Reddy (Karimnagar) and a Supreme Court woman lawyer for Hyderabad LS to take on AIMIM chief and sitting MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
