Khammam District Seats Stalling Congress List, says Ponguleti

Khammam: Former MP and Congress election committee co-convenor Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said on Sunday that a meeting of the Congress election screening committee was underway in Delhi to finalise party candidates for the forthcoming assembly elections in Telangana.

"There is intense competition for tickets for the 10 Assembly seats in erstwhile Khammam district, since the number of aspirants is high. This is causing delay in announcing the Congress list," Ponguleti stated.

Of the 10 seats in the district, five are reserved for scheduled tribes and two for scheduled castes. There are only three general seats.

BRS and BJP are waiting for the Congress to announce its candidates for the 10 seats before finalising their counter strategies.

Competition for general seats in Khammam district has gone up after Thummala Nageshwar Rao and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy joined the Congress. CLP leader and Madhira MLA Bhatti Vikramarka is also trying to get seats for his supporters in the district.

Ponguleti objected to BRS leaders' provocative "Vote ku Notu, Seat ku Retu" statement against TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy. "This is part of the drama within the BRS party. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has been cheating people with false promises for the last nine years," the former MP underlined.

He made it clear that the Congress party's six guaranteed schemes are feasible. "We will implement these schemes in the 'Indiramma Rajyam' once Congress comes to power in Telangana," he assured.

Ponguleti declared that a Congress person will take oath as chief minister in Telangana during the first week of December.

The Congress election committee is going through all social equations before announcing party candidates from Khammam district.

There are reports that Telangana YSRTP president Y.S. Sharmila may contest for the Khammam MP seat if she is not given the Paleru seat once she merges her party with the Congress.

Thummala Nageshwar Rao is the top contender for the Paleru seat after he joined the Congress party recently.