Nizamabad: Dissidence erupted in Yellareddy and Nizamabad rural Assembly constituencies on Saturday after the Congress announced its list of MLA candidates.
Angered Congress activists in Yellareddy burnt the party flags and raised slogans against TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy. Dissident leader Vaddepally Subhash Reddy's follower, Rakesh, tried to immolate himself by pouring petrol over his body, but other activists prevented him.
Subhash Reddy had strongly aspired for the MLA ticket from the Yellareddy Assembly constituency, but the AICC announced the ticket to TPCC social media in-charge K. Madanmohan Rao. Irked by this decision, Subhash Reddy conducted a meeting with his followers and wept inconsolably.
"For the last five years, I have been sticking to the Yellareddy Assembly constituency for Congress programmes," he said. "I skipped attending my relatives' funerals due to party activities."
Subhash Reddy said that he would declare his future course of action after consulting the party activists. "I will either enter the fray as a Congress rebel candidate or take some other decision soon," he said.
On the other hand, Congress activists conducted a secret meeting with Katipally Nagesh Reddy, who was denied the MLA ticket by the party's high command. Nagesh Reddy, the uncle of hero Nithin, had strongly aspired for the ticket, but the party allocated it to former MLC Dr R. Bhupathi Reddy.
Bhupathi Reddy was a founding member of the BRS and was elevated to MLC. He joined the Congress in the last Assembly elections after differing with the BRS MLA Bajireddy Govardhan and the party's high command. He contested but lost in the previous elections. There is strong sympathy for Bhupathi Reddy, who is a doctor by profession and is now concentrating on politics. The party fielded him for a second time based on survey reports.
