Khammam: Bhatti, Ponguleti factions compete for Wyra municipal chairperson post

Congress factions led by Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy are competing for the Wyra municipal chairperson post. Indumathi and Umadevi have filed nominations, while party leaders push for consensus to avoid internal conflict

Khammam: The factions of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy are competing for the Wyra municipal chairperson post as well as party tickets to contest in the forthcoming municipal polls, exposing the intensifying cold war between them.

While there are 20 divisions here, 190 people filed nominations and after scrutiny, 155 candidates remained in the fray. Of these, 70 are from Congress and they are divided into Bhatti Vikramarka and Srinivas Reddy factions. It remains to be seen until the day of nomination withdrawal who among the two ministers will gain the upper hand.

---

With regard to the municipal chairperson post, reports suggest that Bhatti Vikramarka’s follower, former DCC president Puvalla Durgaprasad’s wife Indumathi, is competing for the post. She filed nominations from Wards 11 and 15. The couple, who had gone to Australia to visit their son, rushed back to Wyra to contest in the election. Another candidate competing for the chairperson post is Minister Srinivas Reddy’s follower Borra Rajasekhar’s wife Umadevi. She filed her nomination papers from the third municipal ward. Though there is time to decide on the chairperson candidate, party leaders want to arrive at a consensus before the elections.

Over the past three days, discussions have been held by Wyra MLA Maloth Ramdas Naik and DCC president Nuthi Satyanarayana Goud with the contestants to finalise the chairperson candidate. According to sources, the name of Indumathi was proposed by senior leaders but the opponent faction has not consented to the proposal. The party leaders convened a meeting of the aspiring candidates and made them pledge to work together to ensure the victory of the Congress party’s official candidates as well as to elect the chairperson as per the high command’s directions.