Cong names candidate for Nandigama by-poll

Vijayawada: The Congress has finally named its candidate for the Nandigama Assembly constituency by-election, ending speculation over the election. The Telugu Desam had already named its candidate, Tangirala Sowmya, who had filed her nomination on last Friday. With the Congress joining the fray, the suspension over the possible unanimous election is cleared making election a must now.

The Congress had named its APCC general secretary Bodapati Babu Rao for the by-election. Interestingly, Babu Rao had missed the bus in the last minute in 2014 elections when the party dropped his candidature on the request of former minister Devineni Rajasekhar Nehru. He was replaced by Velpula Parameswara Rao, who lost the election in 2009 too. As Rajasekhar Nehru's son Devineni Avinash contested on the party ticket for the Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency, the party high command succumbed to the pressures and dropped Babu Rao at the eleventh hour.

The TD wanted to make the by-election unanimous in honour of the bereaved legislator Tangirala Prabhakara Rao, who died of cardiac arrest in June this year, before taking oath as MLA. Assembly Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad had held talks with some of the senior Congress leaders to make the by-election unanimous. The Congress leadership too waited for the TD chief N Chandrababu Naidu to talk to them on the by-election. As the TD chief did not speak, the Congress had decided to contest the election and fielded Babu Rao.

The YSR Congress too is having second thoughts on contesting the elections. The party local leadership wants to contest the election as the TD candidate is new to politics. The party leadership is likely to decide on the issue in a day or two.

Meanwhile, the Congress leaders from Krishna district have welcomed the party's decision to field its candidate in the by-election. District Congress Committee (DCC) chief N Narasimha Rao, told The Hans India that the Congress had improved its position and has better chances to win the seat. "The TD had failed on its promise of loan waiver to the farmers and women. The government had made several agriculture field workers jobless. These issues have caused unrest among the voters and the situation is likely to come as advantage for the Congress," Narasimha Rao asserted.

Congress nominee Baburao is scheduled to file his nomination on Wednesday. APCC president N Raghuveera Reddy, former APCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana and other senior leaders would attend, said the party senior leader Kolanukonda Sivaji.