Congress and BJP face dilemma over Khammam LS candidate

The AICC CEC which met in New Delhi on Tuesday has reportedly kept Khammam ticket selection pending as the committee could not arrive at a consensus over the issue.

Khammam: The dilemma over picking up a Congress candidate for Khammam Lok Sabha is continuing as the party leadership was unable to take a decision on the selection of the candidate.

The AICC central election committee (CEC) which met in New Delhi on Tuesday has reportedly kept Khammam ticket selection pending as the committee could not arrive at a consensus over the issue.

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The candidate selection has become tough as the family members of three ministers from the district were in the race for ticket besides several others. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s wife Mallu Nandini, Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy’s brother P Prasad Reddy and Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao’s son T Yugandhar are among those aspiring for the ticket.

However, the names of Nandini and Prasad Reddy were under consideration by the CEC. Objections were said to have risen over Nandini’s candidacy as Vikramarka’s brother Mallu Ravi’s name was reportedly finalised for the Nagarkurnool seat and that two from a family should not be fielded in the elections.

In order to overcome the quandary it was reportedly proposed to field former MP Ramasahayam Surender Reddy’s son Raghurama Reddy of Warangal. Surender Reddy happens to be a relative of minister Srinivas Reddy. But no firm discussion took place over his candidacy, the party sources said.

On the other hand, just like Congress, the BJP leadership was also facing predicament over selection of the candidate for Khammam Lok Sabha seat though the party could not boast of a strong support base or a strong leader in the district.

Of the several contestants for the ticket, the name of a businessman turned politician Vinod Rao Tandra came to fore as the BJP candidate but was obscured with the entry of former MLA Jalagam Venkat Rao into the party with the claim for the ticket. Both Vinod Rao and Venkat Rao belong to the Velama community.

Bringing caste equations into play, Kamma leaders in the district were said to have been lobbying to field a candidate belonging to that community. They argued that if a Kamma candidate was fielded the party had a chance of winning the seat as considerable numbers of voters in the district belong to that community.

The party leadership reportedly bought the argument and was scouting for a strong Kamma leader in other parties like BRS. There were rumours in the district BJP that the leadership was planning to rope in the sitting MP Nama Nageswara Rao, a Kamma leader who was already announced as BRS Khammam LS candidate.