Former Mancherial BRS MLA Gaddam Aravind urges KCR to change party candidate

Adilabad: Former Mancherial MLA Gaddam Aravind Reddy has criticised the party high command for “neglecting” the BC leaders while selecting the BRS candidate from Mancherial. He took objection to the selection of incumbent MLA Diwakar Rao as the party candidate for the coming polls.

Aravind Reddy urged Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao to instead give the seat to a BC candidate as their population was high in the constituency.

Notably, Aravind Reddy recently held an Athmeeya Sammelanam in Mancherial town. He said a BC candidate will become the next MLA if the community stood united in Mancherial. “Or, I will contest the polls if the BCs support me,” he said and added that he would soon meet state minister Harish Rao and seek an appointment with KCR to explain the ground situation in Mancherial.

Meanwhile, hints are also that Aravind Reddy is exploring chances of getting a ticket for him from the Congress or the BJP. He said leaders who worked against the Telangana movement were now enjoying the fruits of statehood. He said MLA Diwakar failed to develop Mancherial assembly constituency.

Aravind Reddy, who has been denied BRS ticket this time, has some grip on the coal belt areas since he played an active role in the Telangana agitation. A turncoat, he joined the Congress just after the Telangana formation but did not get the party ticket and returned to BRS in 2014.

Aravind Reddy had extended his support to Diwakar Rao in the last two elections. KCR had reportedly promised a prominent position or an MLC post to Aravind Reddy, but this did not happen.