All is not well for Tummala in Congress, waits for party decision on Palair ticket

According to party sources, if Prasad Reddy is fielded in Palair, Srinivas Reddy would contest from Kothagudem

Khammam: All is not well for senior politician Tummala Nageswara Rao in the Congress, which he recently joined after quitting the BRS.

He was said to have joined Congress after getting an assurance from the party leadership that he would be given the ticket to contest from the Palair Assembly constituency, which he lost in the 2018 election. But lack of clarity and delay in announcing the ticket is making Nageswara Rao uneasy.

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The waiting seems endless for Nageswara Rao despite his 40 years of experience in State politics and it is irking his followers as well. But there is no other way around for him except for waiting until the Congress leadership makes up its mind.

On the other hand, it is rumoured that the Congress leadership has suggested Nageswara Rao to contest for the Khammam Assembly seat, a proposition he is not comfortable with. Nageswara Rao is also annoyed with the reports that former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy or his brother Prasad Reddy might be fielded in Palair.

According to party sources, if Prasad Reddy is fielded in Palair, Srinivas Reddy would contest from Kothagudem. It is said that Nageswara Rao’s followers are asking him to quit Congress and join the TDP as he might get the priority which Srinivas Reddy enjoys in the Congress.

Political observers in Khammam believe that the Congress leaders have cleverly trapped Nageswara Rao by visiting his residence four times to get his community support to win seats in Hyderabad but not to give a boost to his political life.

It is also said that neither Nageswara Rao nor Srinivas Reddy were interested to contest for Khammam Assembly seat given the fact that the BRS is strong in the constituency and the local MLA, Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar enjoys public support.

Meanwhile, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka in a statement said the Congress leadership had not yet decided on fielding the party candidates for the Assembly elections and urged the cadres not to trust rumours being spread on social media.