Khammam: The talks between the Left and the Congress for seat-sharing as part of an alliance in the Telangana state Assembly polls are causing heartburn to senior Congress leaders and the newly joined leaders from other parties in Khammam.
There are many aspirants for the Congress tickets but only three general seats in Khammam district.
It is a tough time for Congress to grant a few seats for the Left parties to contest, when there already are one too many aspirants for tickets within the grand old party, apart from the ticket-seekers who joined it recently from other parties.
Hints are that the Congress has agreed to give two tickets each to the CPI and the CPM. The Left parties are also asking for seats in the erstwhile Nalgonda, and Khammam districts.
Paleru, Khammam and, Kothagudem are the three general seats, apart from the five seats reserved for STs and two for SCs in the erstwhile Khammam district. CPI wants Munugodu in Nalgonda and Kothagudem in Khammam district.
The CPM wants Bhadrachalam in Khammam and Miryalaguda in Nalgonda district. The Congress already has a sitting MLA, Podem Veeraiah, in Bhandrachalam. It has to provide another seat for Veeraiah if he is not given the sitting seat.
Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Thummala Nageshwar Rao and CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka are lobbying for tickets for their supporters while the TPCC is trying to give one seat to the CPI and one to the CPIM.
Ponguleti Srinivas got a call on Oct 10 from the AICC and screening committee members to discuss the allocation of seats in the Khammam district, sources said.
CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka told the media that talks were on between the Congress and Left for seat-sharing but this was in its early stages.
Senior Congress leader Jana Reddy is lobbying for the party’s Miryalaguda ticket for his son Raghuveer Reddy while three senior Congress leaders — TPCC’s Kailash Punna, Palvai Sravanthi and Chelamalla Krishnareddy are lobbying for the party ticket from Munugodu.
