BRS sitting MLAs in Nizamabad and Kamareddy likely to get tickets

NIZAMABAD: The BRS high command has clarified that it would field sitting MLAs for the upcoming assembly elections in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts.

This sets at rest the speculations that the ruling party would deny tickets to a few MLAs in these districts. The alternative MLA candidates' names were also doing the rounds in recent days.

BRS working president and IT minister KT Rama Rao has promised to give tickets to sitting MLAs Bigala Ganesh and Jajala Surender of Nizamabad urban and Yellareddy assembly constituencies.

KTR, during his visit to Nizamabad and Yellareddy towns, called upon the people to ensure a considerable majority to Ganesh and Surender.

Notably, the minister did not mention the name of the government whip and Kamareddy MLA Gampa Govardhan for the elections during his visit to Kamareddy on Monday last.

In his speech, KTR said Gampa Govardhan gave utmost importance to the development of Kamareddy. There is speculation that chief minister Chandrashekar Rao might contest the coming polls from the Kamareddy constituency.

Gampa Govardhan said that he requested KCR to contest from Kamareddy, where the CM’s ancestors lived. His grandparents migrated from Posanipally (present-day Konapur) in Kamareddy district to Chintamadaka in Siddipet district.

MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha also called upon the people to give a thumping majority to sitting MLA Shakil Amer, during her visit to Bodhan on Wednesday. Speculation is that the BRS high command may change sitting MLA Shakil and field his wife Ayesha from Bodhan.

The chief minister clarified that assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas and Jukkal MLA Hanumanth Shinde will contest the next elections.

During the CM’s visit to the Telangana Tirumala temple at Thimmapur in Birkur mandal, Pocharam Srinivas expressed his inability to contest the elections, but the CM stressed that Pocharam will continue as MLA.

BRS sources are confident that MLAs of Armoor, Balkonda and Nizamabad rural assembly constituencies -- Jeevan Reddy, Prashanth Reddy and Bajireddy Govardhan -- will be included in the first list of MLA candidates by the high command.