Congress Names Four Candidates for LS Polls in Telangana

Hyderabad: The Congress on Friday announced the candidature of Suresh Kumar Shetkar (Zaheerabad), Challa Vamshichand Reddy (Mahbubnagar), Kunduru Raghuveer Reddy (Nalgonda) and Balram Naik Porika (Mahbubabad, ST) in its first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana state.

The high command has kept the candidature of Sunitha Mahender Reddy from the Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha constituency on hold.

The Congress released two lists within two hours. The first list announced the name of Sunitha Mahender Reddy from Chevella and put Vamshichand Reddy from Mahabubnagar on hold. In the revised list, it announced Vamshichand Reddy's candidature and kept Sunitha Mahender Reddy’s name on hold.

The party’s central election committee (CEC), which met in Delhi on Thursday, cleared the names. TPCC president and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy are learnt to have submitted a list of 11 probables.

Party sources said that the CEC will meet again on March 11 to clear the names of candidates for the remaining constituencies in the second and third phases.

The party high command putting on hold the candidature of Vamshichand Reddy initially surprised party leaders and cadre as Revanth Reddy had twice announced the name. They heaved a sigh of relief after his name figured in the revised list.

Party sources said that Sunitha Reddy's name was kept on hold as objections were raised by local party leaders on giving the ticket to a recent entrant.

There is also speculation that BRS Chevella MP G. Ranjith Reddy is also lobbying for a Congress ticket.

The Congress first list

Suresh Kumar Shetkar (Zaheerabad): Elected to the Assembly from Narayankhed in 2004 and to the Lok Sabha from Zaheerabad in 2009. Lost the 2014 LS polls and 2018 Assembly elections. In the recent election, he was replaced by P. Sanjeeva Reddy, who defeated BRS sitting MLA M. Bhupal Reddy.

Challa Vamshichand Reddy: First elected to the Assembly from Kalwakurthy in 2014, lost in 2018. Reddy contested the Mahabubnagar Lok Sabha seat in April 2019 but lost again. He served as NSUI state president from 2006 to 2010 in the combined Andhra Pradesh. He was appointed AICC secretary in charge of the party's organisational affairs, a major elevation for a leader from Telangana state, in October 2021. He continues in this post to date.

Kunduru Raghuveer Reddy (Nalgonda): Son of veteran Congress leader Kunduru Jana Reddy, Raghuveer Reddy will be making his electoral debut. His brother Kunduru Jaiveer Reddy won his first Assembly seat in the recent polls over BRS MLA Nomula Bhagat. Jana Reddy was elected to the Assembly seven times from 1978 to 2018 — five from the Chalakurthi seat and twice from the present Nagarjunasagar seat.

Porika Balram Naik (Mahbubabad): First elected to Lok Sabha from Mahbubabad in 2009, he was minister of state for social justice and empowerment in the UPA-2 government. Naik was a police constable and then forayed into real estate before entering politics in 2009. He lost the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019. He was disqualified by the Election Commission from contesting Lok Sabha elections for three years for failing to submit election expenditure details.