Congress feels heat in Medak following the joining of Mynampally Hanumantha Rao

Sasidhar Reddy had won from Medak in 2004 but lost to Mynampally Hanumantha Rao, who contested on Telugu Desam Party ticket in 2009. However, he could not get the chance to contest in 2014 and 2018 for various reasons.

Medak: Differences of opinion have cropped up in the Congress after Myanapally Hanumantha Rao and his son Myanampally Rohit joined the party. As Mynampally Hanumantha Rao has announced that the Congress high command had assured them to give Medak and Malkajigiri Assembly constituency tickets to his son and himself respectively, party leaders in Medak were expressing their disappointment.

District Congress President Kantareddy Tirupathi Reddy has openly declared that he would be in the fray for the Medak seat. Another senior leader and former Congress MLA Patlolla Sasidhar Reddy, who won from Medak earlier on a Congress ticket, had rejoined Congress as Party President A Revanth Reddy had assured him of giving the party ticket. However, the joining of the Mynampally changed the political landscape in Medak.

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Sasidhar Reddy had won from Medak in 2004 but lost to Mynampally Hanumantha Rao, who contested on Telugu Desam Party ticket in 2009. However, he could not get the chance to contest in 2014 and 2018 for various reasons. Disappointed over the party’s attitude, Sashidhar Reddy had joined the BJP. But, Revanth Reddy had persuaded him to rejoin Congress, offering the Medak seat.

Apart from these two leaders, PCC member Myadam Balakrishna, Suprabatha Rao and others were aspiring to contest on Congress ticket from Medak. A Congress leader has said that Mynampally had won from Ramayampet in a 2008 by-election and from Medak in the 2009 general election as a TDP candidate.

“We have always seen him as a leader from the Opposition Party” a Congress leader said. Since the formation of Telangana, Mynampally remained with Bharata Rashtra Samithi (BRS) which the Congress cadre would consider as their main opponent post-2014.

The Congress leaders opined that Mynampally may not get the acceptance of the party workers in the constituency. Apart from that, Mynamplly Rohit is just 26-years-old while most of the key leaders in Congress in Medak were aged about 50 years. “How Rohit will treat the senior leaders will be a key thing to his political future.