Karimnagar/Warangal: One-upmanship is going on between political leaders cutting across party lines for securing party tickets to contest the forthcoming assembly general elections in Telangana. In Karimnagar and Warangal districts, leaders are using proxies to run down their rivals in their preferred constituencies.
In particular, they are spreading rumours that their rivals are quitting to join a rival party. This is their way of buttressing their claim for the party ticket.
For example, former MLA and BJP leader Somarapu Satyanarayana is keen on contesting from the Ramagundam constituency on the Bharatiya Janata Party ticket. However, Satyanarayana got a shock when his rivals started prompting social media postings over past few days that he is going to quit BJP for greener pastures.
Condemning the rumours, Satyanarayana asserted that he is going to contest the forthcoming elections from Ramagundam constituency on the BJP ticket. He pointed out that his rivals are trying to malign him, as he has a clean image. He said people know who are spreading the false news and are not going to believe them.
In Manakondur assembly segment, people started receiving phone calls from unknown numbers that former MLA Arepally Mohan is going to shift his loyalty and contest on BJP ticket from Manakondur.
An upset Mohan, who has been in BRS for long and also served a term as MLA, feels he has a strong following in Manakondur and should get the ruling party ticket this time. He has been preparing the ground in Manakondur constituency for past several months, even though BRS has a sitting MLA Rasamai Balakishan from the constituency.
Mohan has released a statement condemning rumours of his shift to BJP. He said unable to face him in the political arena, his rivals are spreading rumours intentionally to undermine his popularity among people. The ex-MLA says he has already got a green signal from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao to work in the constituency in favour of the ruling party.
In Warangal East assembly segment, several posts have come up on social media platforms that former minister Konda Sureka and her husband Muralidhar Rao are shifting from Congress and are likely to contest on BJP tickets from Warangal East and Parkal assembly constituencies.
The couple have condemned the rumours. They maintain that they are going to register a massive victory from both the constituencies once Congress party leadership allots them tickets from both the assembly segments.
