KTR touch in the selection of candidates for three assembly constituencies

ADILABAD: IT minister K.T. Rama Rao’s involvement is evident in the selection of party candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in the erstwhile Adilabad district.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced the first list of the party candidates on Monday. News is making rounds that KTR played a key role in changing the sitting candidates and selecting others as party candidates from Asifabad, Khanapur and Boath assembly constituencies.

All the three new candidates are associated with KTR. The sitting MLAs Koneru Konappa of Sirpur(T), Durgam Chinnaiah of Bellampalli, Nadipelli Diwakar Rao of Mancherial, Balka Suman of Chennur, Jogu Ramanna of Adilabad, Vittal Reddy of Mudhole and Allola Indrakaran of Nirmal have been chosen again as party candidates from their respective constituencies.

Bellampalli sitting MLA Durgam Chainnaiah was also chosen as the party candidate though he was facing sexual harassment allegations from a woman, Shejal.

Surprisingly, the party changed its candidates in all the three ST assembly constituencies in the erstwhile Adilabad district. There are three ST, two SC and five general assembly constituencies in the erstwhile Adilabad district.

ZP chairperson Kova Laxmi was chosen as the party candidate against the sitting MLA Atram Sakku in Asifabad. New face and NRI Bhukya Johson Rathod Naik was chosen for Khanapur against sitting MLA Ajmera Rekha Naik and Neredigonda ZPTC Anil Jadhav from Boath assembly constituency against sitting MLA Rathod Bapu Rao.

Bhukya Johnson Rathod Naik is a close friend of KTR during their college days at Nizam College in Hyderabad. He accompanied KTR during his visit to the USA. Bhukya Naik is a native of Metpalli of Jagtial district.