TRS, Congress must face rebel candidates

Hyderabad: The TRS and Congress will have to face rebel candidates in the upcoming Assembly elections from the Khairatabad constituency in the city. The BJP has nominated its sitting legislator Chintala Ramachandra Reddy from the constituency.

Both the TRS and the Congress have focused on grabbing this hig-profile seat, but the rebel candidates of the two parties may help the BJP to retain the seat. 
The Congress nominated its spokesperson Dr Dasoju Sravan as the candidate in its second list released on Wednesday, provoking party leader Rohin Reddy to decide to contest as a rebel.

After former minister Danam Nagendar left the Congress, Mr Rohin Reddy has worked on the Khairatabad voters with the hope that the Congress would allot the seat to him. Mr Rohin Reddy asked the party leadership why Dr Dasoju had been nominated from Khairatabad when he had asked for the Musheerabad ticket. He said that Dr Dasoju had even appealed on social media for the Musheerabad electorate to vote for him.

In the TRS, party leader Manne Govardhan Reddy’s followers have been protesting at Telangana Bhavan for the last three days demanding that he should be given the Khairatabad ticket. Mr Govardhan Redy was admitted to a city hospital on Tuesday and was discharged on Wednesday.
In 2014, Mr Govardhan Reddy was defeated by the BJP’s Ramachandra Reddy. 

The TRS named Mr Danam Nagender from Khairatabad late on Wednesday night. Danam had recently joined the party from the Congress. Mr Govardhan Reddy has said that he would contest as a rebel if the party fielded Mr Nagendar from Khairatabad.

TS TD workers staged a dharna in front of NTR Bhavan, the headquarters of the TD, demanding the party secure the seat as part of the Mahakutami seat adjustments.