Turf wars: Revolt in Cong over Kodad nominations

Kodad: The Congress party is yet to announce its official candidates for the Kodad municipal elections, however, signs of rebellion have begun to surface within the ruling party’s members from Ward no 14 and 6.

The disturbance began after Ward No 6 was reserved for the SC category this time. The area was represented in the previous council by Kandula Koteswara Rao, who had won the election and served as Vice-Chairman. However, after the reservation declaration, he filed his nomination to contest from Ward No 14, which has been reserved for the BC General category.

This development triggered opposition from leaders belonging to Ward No 14. They stated that they had no objection if the ticket was given to any candidate from within their own ward, but they would not tolerate giving an opportunity to candidates from other wards. On Saturday, leaders aspiring for the councillor ticket held a meeting at the residence of Ramineni Srinivasa Rao and made their stand clear.

They displayed posters with slogans such as “Local candidate only, no non-local” and expressed their protest. They announced that if the party failed to allot the ticket, they would field Ramineni Srinivasa Rao from their ward as an independent candidate and ensure his victory. Other candidates who had filed nominations also participated in the meeting.