Intense battle to unfold as senior Cong leaders vie for ticket

Khammam: The Khammam Parliamentary seat in the state has become a focal point of intense political battle, as a significant number of senior Congress leaders expressed their desire to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The TPCC office in Hyderabad witnessed a surge in applications from leaders lobbying fervently for the seat. This includes Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s wife Mallu Nandini, who threw her hat into the ring, organising a grand car rally in Hyderabad exclusively to promote her application for the Khammam seat.

Notably, Revenue, Housing, and PR Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, along with Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, are advocating for their respective family members viz. Ponguleti Prasad Reddy and Tummala Yougandhar.

On the opposition front, senior party leaders, including former Minister V Hanumantha Rao, J Kusuma Kumar, and former Union Minister Renuka Chowdary, are actively seeking the party’s ticket for the Khammam Parliamentary seat.

Renuka, a former MP of Khammam, has reassured the public of her commitment, having visited the constituency regularly and engaged with party leaders.

Meanwhile, BC leader V Hanumantha Rao emphasised that his candidacy is crucial, asserting that being a BC leader should be a priority for securing the ticket.

In a strategic move, Chief Minister and TPCC Chief Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy met with AICC leader Sonia Gandhi on Monday, urging her to contest from Khammam in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The competition for the seat has escalated, with leaders from neighbouring districts also vying for the opportunity. Beyond political figures, industrialists and businessmen, including VVC Group Chairman Vankayalapati Rajendra Prasad (Raja), are actively pursuing the Khammam seat, leveraging their close connections with key state ministers and AICC leaders.

Meanwhile, AICC leaders now find themselves in a challenging position, with numerous recommendations for the Khammam MP seat causing a headache. As of now, no promises or final decisions have been made. The fate of the Khammam seat hinges on Sonia Gandhi’s potential candidacy, with the party anticipating either a calm acceptance or a fierce competition depending on her decision.

The Khammam Parliament seat encompasses seven Assembly Constituencies, with Congress MLAs dominating six of them in recent general Assembly elections. The seventh seat, Kothagudem, was won by CPI in alliance with Congress.

Recent voting patterns indicate a significant advantage for Congress in the region, with a total of 7,33,293 votes across all seven constituencies. The BRS received 4,67,639 votes, leaving a substantial gap of 2,65,654 votes between Congress and its closest competitor. This makes the Khammam Lok Sabha seat a highly favourable prospect for Congress in the state.