As the nominations for the Telangana assembly elections all set to close by Friday, dissent is brewing in the Congress and the disgruntled leaders resort to pressure tactics demanding last minute changes in the party tickets.
On Wednesday morning, ticket aspirant from Banswada constituency, K Balaraju allegedly attempted suicide at Banswada after being denied a ticket by the party.
He is said to have consumed pesticide and was immediately shifted to the Banswada Area Hospital, where his condition is said to be stable.
Balaraju was the Banswada constituency Congress in-charge and had contested from the constituency in the past representing the party.
However, this time the party offered the ticket to former MLA E Ravinder Reddy, who had quit the BJP and joined the Congress recently. He was from Yellareddy constituency.
Similarly, with speculations making rounds suggest that the Suryapet ticket would be offered to former Minister Ramreddy Damodar Reddy, another aspirant Patel Ramesh Reddy from the same constituency has warned of contesting as a Congress ‘rebel’.
Former minister and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) senior vice president Sambhani Chandrasekhar expressed shock over being denied ticket from Sattupalli in Khammam district. The ticket was given to a new comer Matta Ragamayi.
Another TPCC general secretary K Manavatha Roy, a strong student leader from Osmania University, who also aspired for the ticket from the same Sattupalli constituency, resigned from his party post on Wednesday. He threatened to file the nomination as a rebel candidate.
Former MLA Thati Venkateshwarlu, who aspired for the party ticket from Aswaraopet in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, resigned from the primary membership of the party. He joined the BRS on Wednesday.
Followers of former minister G Chinna Reddy from Wanaparthy staged a dharna at Gandhi Bhavan, the PCC headquarters on Tuesday, in protest against the party high command’s decision to withdraw the ticket given to him earlier and giving the same to another new comer Tudi Megha Reddy.
Similarly, the party’s decision to replace its Boath candidate Vannela Ashok with another newcomer Ade Gajender evoked strong protests in the party.
The fate of Neelam Madhu, a defector from the BRS is all the more pathetic. He was declared as the candidate for Patancheru assembly constituency, but it triggered unrest in the party.
While former deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarasimha threatened to quit the party if his follower Kata Srinivas Goud is not given the ticket from Patancheru, another Congress MLA from Sangareddy T Jayaprakash Reddy insisted that Madhu should be retained as the candidate.
On Wednesday, Madhu came to Gandhi Bhavan to take the formal “B” form (an authentication signed by the party chief declaring him as the party candidate), but he was told that there were no instructions from the high command yet. Madhu walked out in a huff.
In Kodangal, Congress leader Bellaiah Naik has threatened to sit on an indefinite hunger strike at Gandhi Bhavan if he is not allowed to contest instead of Revanth Reddy.