Forcible withdrawal of nominations, BJP candidate ‘kidnapped’ in Edulapuram Municipality
In Khammam’s Edulapuram Municipality, CPI (M) candidate Tammineni Vijayalakshmi and BJP candidate Gajji Rajitha withdrew their nominations for Ward No. 15, paving the way for Congress candidate Tammineni Mangathai’s unanimous election.
Khammam: In a surprising development in Khammam’s Edulapuram Municipality, the CPI (M) candidate for Ward No. 15, Tammineni Vijayalakshmi has withdrawn her nomination paving way for the Congress candidate Tammineni Mangathai’s unanimous election.
The 15th municipal ward falls under Teldarpally village, a CPI (M) stronghold and a native village of the party’s senior leader Tammineni Veerabhadram. The BJP candidate for the 15th ward Gajji Rajitha has also withdrawn her nomination helping Mangathai to get elected unanimously.
It might be noted that Mangathai is the wife of slain BRS leader Tammineni Krishnaiah who was allegedly murdered by CPI (M) workers on August 15, 2022. Krishnaiah was the follower of Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao. After his death, Mangathai and her son Naveen joined Congress.
Naveen is contesting for the Ward No. 14. What makes things interesting is that Vijayalakshmi is the wife of Tammineni Koteshwara Rao, the brother of Veerabhadram and who was the accused in Krishnaiah’s murder.
Responding to the development, CPI (M) mandal secretary V Sudharshan Reddy stated that Vijayalakshmi’s decision to withdraw from the contest was not the party’s decision and she did not inform them about her action.
Disciplinary action would be taken against her for violating the party discipline by colluding with Congress and those responsible for it. CPI (M) candidates are contesting with the support of the BRS party in the Wards No. 14 and 16 of Tellarlapally, he said.
Speaking to the media, Mangathi thanked Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy for ensuring her unanimous election and said her son Naveen would win in the 14th ward with the support from the minister and the voters.
It was learnt that despite the efforts by the Congress leaders to get Naveen elected unanimously, election has become unavoidable as the CPI (M) candidate Venkanna remained in the fray.
On the other hand, the BJP Palair constituency in-charge Nunna Ravi Kumar complained that Congress leaders acting at the behest of Minister Srinivas Reddy have kidnapped and beaten the party’s candidate for 14th ward, M Venkateshwara Rao and made him to withdraw nomination after the time to withdraw nominations was over at 3 pm.
The BJP district president Nalluri Koteswara Rao said they would lodge a complaint with the police as well as with the State Election Commission regarding the incident. Fearing BJP’s victory in the election in the wards the Congress leaders resorted to undemocratic and violent means, he alleged.
