BRS MLAs facing competition from within party

NIZAMABAD: The ruling BRS party high command is all set to release the first list of contesting MLA candidates. A few second-rung leaders are hopeful that they may get a chance in place of incumbent MLAs in the forthcoming assembly elections.

Sitting legislators of all the nine assembly constituencies are confident of being re-nominated. But names of family members of the MLAs and other leaders are also doing rounds for the ticket.

During the last assembly elections, the first MLA ticket in the state to be announced had been from the Armoor assembly constituency. Sitting MLA A. Jeevan Reddy got the ticket and became a second-time legislator. He has been elevated as BRS district president too.

But zilla parishad chairman Dadannagari Vittal Rao, founder member of BRS, is also aspiring for the ticket from Armoor. Vittal Rao is a relative of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Based on intelligence and other reports, BRS sources believe that the CM may change sitting MLAs in the undivided Nizamabad district.

Vittal Rao is ready to contest as a legislator or abide by the party’s wishes and work for the win of Jeevan Reddy if the party fields him for the third time as its candidate.

In the Bodhan assembly constituency, sitting legislator Shakil Amer’s wife Ayesha Fatima’s name is doing rounds for the MLA ticket.
BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha had made it clear that Shakil will contest the coming elections. But Ayesha Fatima is the only spouse of sitting MLAs in the undivided Nizamabad district, who is actively working in her husband’s assembly constituency.

Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, TSRTC chairman Bajireddy Govardhan, and Jukkal MLA Hanmanth Shinde have reportedly proposed their sons as MLA candidates for the coming elections.
However, it is said the BRS supremo wants the sitting MLAs to continue in active politics, instead of pushing forward their successors.

In Jukkal, a government teacher Sithaiah has urged BRS high command to give him a chance to contest as MLA if the party changes the sitting legislator Hanmanth Shinde.

In the Kamareddy assembly constituency, philanthropist, and builder Subhash Reddy’s name has come to the fore for the MLA ticket.

The sole candidates from their respective constituencies are roads and buildings minister V. Prashanth Reddy from Balakonda, MLA Jajala Surender from Yellareddy, and legislator Bigala Ganesh Gupta from Nizamabad Urban.