Owing to pressure and persuasion from the party, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has decided to contest from Nalgonda Parliament constituency, party sources said.
Mr. Reddy, who was initially reluctant to contest, was asked by the party high command to contest as it would send right signals to the party cadre and boost the confidence. He reportedly argued that he has just contested an intense election and was elected as an MLA though his party fared pretty badly winning just 19 out of the 119 seats. Financial and emotional aspects are said to be the reasons for his reluctance.
The central screening committee discussed several names but when the issue came up with the senior leadership, they persuaded Mr. Reddy to take the plunge, it is said, and he had no other option but to agree. He is presently representing Huzurnagar Assembly constituency under Nalgonda Parliament.
Nalgonda district has been the bastion of Congress party for long and even in the 2014 elections, after Telangana was formed, it won maximum seats in the district despite K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s charisma. In the 2018 Assembly elections too it snatched Nakrekal and Munugode constituencies from the TRS that swept the polls elsewhere.
Meanwhile, in a late night development, the party has announced its list of candidates. Former Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy is candidate from Bhongir constituency, Vamshichand Reddy from Mahabubnagar, Anjan Kumar Yadav from Secunderabad, Madhu Yaskhi Goud from Nizamabad, Feroz Khan from Hyderabad, Mallu Ravi from Nagarkurnool and B. Sambaiah from Warangal.
Meanwhile, there is hectic lobbying for Khammam seat with the name of former Union Minister Renuka Chowdary also coming up. The seat assumes significance as the Congress won maximum seats in the district in the recent Assembly elections but four of its MLAs have expressed their desire to defect to the ruling TRS party.
The party three days ago had announced 8 names and these include: Ramesh Rathod (Adilabad-ST), A Chandra Sekhar (Peddapalle-SC), Ponnam Prabhakar (Karimnagar), K Madan Mohan Rao (Zaheerabad), Gali Anil Kumar (Medak), Konda Vishweshwar Reddy (Chevella) and former Union Minister Porika Balram Naik (Mahabubabad-ST), and A. Revanth Reddy (Malkajgiri).
