Congress picks five of 12 candidates in Warangal, faces tough choices for rest
Warangal: Among the Congress’ list of five candidates announced for the 12 seats in the erstwhile undivided Warangal district, MLA Seethakka was retained in Mulugu, while Singarapu Indira was chosen over Dommati Sabbaiah in Station Ghanpur constituency.
Three others, Gandra Satyanarayana (Bhupalpally), Donthi Madhav Reddy (Narsampet), and Kommuri Prathap Reddy (Jangaon) were chosen unanimously.
Satyanarayana expressed thanks to the AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy for allotting him the ticket.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Satyanarayana said he worked hard to strengthen it from the ground level, and the same was recognised by the leadership. “There is a good response from the people regarding the six guarantees announced by the party,” he said.
Narsampet candidate and former MLA Donthi Madhava Reddy told Deccan Chronicle that “a Congress wave” is going on in Telangana and that the party would register a comprehensive win in the polls. “In Narsampet, the Congress will secure the highest majority of votes, compared to other constituencies present in the erstwhile Warangal district,” he said.
In the Station Ghanpur constituency, Singarapu Indira and Dommati Sabbaiah were vying for the poll ticket, but the party opted for the former.
In Jangaon, K. Prathap Reddy was up against former PCC president Ponnala Laxmaiah, but with Ponnala quitting the Congress, the former got the ticket unopposed.
Among the big misses in Warangal, with regard to the first list, were the names of former minister Konda Surekha and her husband, former MLC Konda Muralidhar Rao, who were vying for the Warangal East and Parkal Assembly segment tickets, respectively.
In Warangal East constituency, Konda Surekha faces competition from DCC president Errabelli Swarna, Azmathullah Hassaini and Samala Pradeep Kumar, while in Parkal, Konda Muralidhar is up against Enagala Venkatram Reddy and ex-Maoist-leader-Gajarla Ashok.
In Warangal West (Hanamkonda), there is a tough choice for the party to make as it has to choose between senior leader and DCC president Naini Rajendar Reddy and former DCCB chairman Janga Raghava Reddy,
In the Wardhannapet Assembly segment, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), there is a three-way race among former MP Sircilla Rajaiah, Namindla Srinivas and A.R. Nagaraju.
In the Dornakal Assembly segment, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Dr Ram Chandru Naik and Nehru Naik are fighting for the ticket, while the other ST-reserved constituency, Mahbubabad, will see a race between Porika Balram Naik and Dr Muarali Naik.
In Palakurthy constituency, which is currently represented by panchayat raj minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, there is a fight between two NRIs, Hanumandla Jhansi Reddy and Yerramreddy Tirupati Reddy, and Bandi Sudhakar.
