Nizamabad LS seat: Congress searching for candidate to take on Dharmapuri, Kavitha

Nizamabad: In the backdrop of BJP sitting MP Arvind Dharmapuri and his predecessor from the BRS Kalvakuntla Kavitha likely to contest from the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency, the Congress is searching for a suitable candidate to take on the two. Incidentally, as many senior Congress leaders are not keen on entering the fray from Nizamabad, the ruling party is searching for a new face.

Dharmapuri has already declared his intention to score an encore. Of the seven Assembly constituencies under Nizamabad Parliamentary constituency, two are represented by BJP MLAs, including Dhanpal Suryanarayana Gupta (Nizamabad urban) and Paidi Rakesh Reddy (Armoor). Those apart, the party has a sizeable vote bank in the other five constituencies as evidenced in the recent Assembly elections.

The prospects of Kavitha will be bolstered by the fact that three of the Assembly constituencies, Balkonda, Korutla and Jagtial, are represented by BRS.

Meanwhile, Madhu Goud Yashki, a two-time MP from Nizamabad, who later lost in 2004 and 2009, and contested from the LB nagar Assembly constituency in the recent elections, has made it clear that he is not interested in contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, MLC T. Jeevan Reddy, the in-charge of Nizamabad parliament constituency, who lost from Jagtial in the recent Assembly elections, is likely to be fielded, opine some local leaders.

This is even as Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is urging his friend and prominent filmmaker Dil Raju (V. Venkataramana Reddy) to contest from Nizamabad.

It may be recalled that megastar Chiranjeevi (PRP) and the Congress had asked Raju to contest in the general elections, but he did not show any interest. The Congress state leadership is hopeful that Raju, who is a native of Narsingpally village in Nizamabad rural, may enter politics. His family members maintain cordial relations with all major leaders and they are not in a position to confine themselves to any one party, close sources of Dil Raju said.

The other prominent names making the Congress rounds are Eravathri Anil, B. Mahesh Kumar Goud, Mohammad Ali Shabbir and Akula Lalitha.