Mynampalli Hanumantha Rao’s episode in the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) ended on a sour note, with the sitting MLA from Malkajgiri sending his resignation letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao after publicly abusing Minister for Health T. Harish Rao on the day the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) announced party tickets exactly a month ago.
Mr. Hanumantha Rao was expecting a call from the Chief Minister to settle the differences he had developed with Mr. Harish Rao over the Medak Assembly seat, which he wanted for his son Mynampalli Rohit. However, the ticket was allotted to sitting MLA Padma Devender Reddy after BRS chief Chandrasekhar Rao decided to renominate the majority of sitting MLAs.
The ‘abusive drama’ on the divine hills of Tirumala left the BRS cadre in shock and the BRS leadership in confusion over dealing with it as Mr. Hanumantha Rao was considered close to the Chief Minister. KCR’s daughter and family friend Kavitha Kalvakuntla reached out to him to calm him down and urged him to issue a public apology to Mr. Harish Rao but it did not fructify.
After waiting for a month and seeing no signs of reconciliation, Mr. Hanumantha Rao finally decided to send his resignation and is now looking at a new political journey that may start with Congress. He has a personal relationship with Telangana Congress president Revanth Reddy, with whom he worked in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the undivided State of Andhra Pradesh.
It is now expected that he will join the Congress in the presence of Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi soon. But the sole reason for him to leave the BRS was the non-allotment of ticket to his son Rohit. The Telangana Congress seems to be in favour of giving the opportunity to his son from Medak where it doesn’t have a strong candidate to match the BRS.
Sources said the Congress party has already conducted a survey with Rohit as its candidate, and it was revealed that he has bright chances of winning if everything works out well. He is resourceful in terms of money and men.
Will Mr. Hanumantha Rao also be accommodated in Malkajgiri by the Congress? In all likelihood, he could get a nomination though the constituency incharge Nandikanti Sridhar has been preparing the ground for himself over the last five years. It will be difficult for the Congress to deny him the opportunity but Mr. Hanumantha Rao looks strong on the ground with the financial resources to take on the BRS candidate.
Sources said, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao personally called up Marri Rajashekhar Reddy, BRS incharge for Malkajgiri Parliamentary constituency, asking him to start preparations for the election. “This was just a couple of days after the abuse episode.”
Mr. Marri Rajashekhar Reddy is the son-in-law of Labour Minister Malla Reddy but has carved an image for himself as the owner of several educational institutions. He also runs Arundhati Hospital, established in his mother’s name, and offers free-of-cost high-quality medical services. “It is the only hospital where the billing counter doesn’t exist. Such a candidate will be the right choice to take on Mr. Hanumantha Rao,” a senior BRS leader said.
