Nizamabad: Stalemate continues over finalisation of Congress nominees for contesting from the undivided Nizamabad district. Of the nine assembly constituencies, AICC has declared tickets for Bodhan, Balkonda and Armoor Assembly segments.
There is tremendous pressure from party groups over allocation of party tickets from Nizamabad Urban, Nizamabad Rural, Banswada, Yellareddy, Jukkal and Kamareddy assembly constituencies.
TPCC treasurer P. Sudarshan Reddy and newcomers P. Vinay Kumar Reddy and M. Sunil Kumar Reddy got MLA tickets from Bodhan, Armoor and Balkonda assembly constituencies respectively.
There is stiff competition for the MLA ticket in Nizamabad Rural assembly constituency, where former MLCs R. Bhupathi Reddy, A. Narsa Reddy and former agriculture market committee chairman K. Nagesh Reddy are vying for the ticket.
Narsa Reddy, who joined the Congress recently, and Nagesh Reddy, who is uncle of film star Nithin, are hoping to bag the tickets.
Bhupathi Reddy is a doctor by profession. He joined Congress after giving up his BRS MLC post. For the last two decades, he has been active in politics. He had been a founding member of BRS.
TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy visited former Dichpally (now Nizamabad rural) MLA Mandava Venkateshwar Rao’s residence and invited him to the Congress fold.
Party sources believe that Mandava might be the candidate from the Rural constituency. Congress leadership believes that if Mandava joins Congress, Andhra settlers, who are sizable in undivided Nizamabad district, may support the Congress in assembly elections.
In the Nizamabad Urban assembly segment, more than half dozen candidates have applied for tickets. TPCC working president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud, former mayor D. Sanjay, former DCC president Taher Bin Hamdan, TPCC former secretary N. Ratnakar are among them.
In a latest move, former MLC Akula Lalitha has resigned from BRS. She is all set to join Congress, her parent party, soon. She is expecting the MLA ticket from Nizamabad Urban, where Lalitha began her political career as MPTC. She went on to become MLA and MLC.
Senior Congress leader Mohammad Ali Shabbir’s name did not figure in first list of MLA candidates. His name will be announced in the next list from Kamareddy assembly constituency, from where Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is the BRS nominee.
In Yellareddy segment, party leaders Madanmohan Rao and Subhash Reddy are aspiring for the MLA ticket. Former MLA Enugu Ravinder Reddy is also set to join Congress hoping for the ticket for himself or his wife Enugu Manjula seeking a ticket from Yellareddy.
Congress high command, however, proposes to field Madanmohan Rao from Banswada. In Jukkal assembly constituency, former MLA S. Gangaram and some newcomers are expecting tickets.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior Congress leader, who preferred anonymity, said the final list of contesting candidates will be out by October 23. “We are expecting two MLA tickets for BC candidates,” he stated.
