Hyderabad: Several senior leaders of Congress are thronging by-election-bound Huzurabad assembly constituency to campaign for their party candidate Balmuri Venkat Narsing Rao. Compared to political rivals TRS and BJP, the grand old party has launched its campaign in right earnest just a fortnight before the polling date.
Ahead of the by-poll, Congress received a shock when its Huzurabad constituency in-charge Padi Koushik Reddy switched his loyalties to ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi. As a result, Congress had found it difficult to pick local leaders for the high-voltage campaign. BJP candidate Etala Rajendar and TRS nominee Gellu Srinivas Yadav, backed by their respective party machineries and leaders, have already got a head start.
Surprisingly, Congress fielded NSUI state president Balmuri Venkat as its candidate for the by-election. Venkat is an outsider as far as Huzurabad constituency is concerned. But being a youth leader, he is hopeful of performing well. Supporting Balmuri’s campaign are All India Congress Committee (AICC) Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore, MP, and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who have intensified their campaigning by camping in Huzurabad. They are targeting both TRS and BJP and urging people to support the Congress candidate to realise the real aim of Telangana state. Leaders of undivided Karimnagar district have been accompanying the CLP leader during his election campaign.
Former MP and senior Congress leader V. Hanumantha Rao will start campaigning for his party candidate from Friday. Party cadres are eagerly waiting for the visit of TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy, MP, hoping he would electrify campaigning. Other senior Congress leaders are also planning to visit Huzurabad for participating in the hustings.
