The Congress party released its second list with 10 candidates for the ensuing Telangana assembly elections, but senior Congress leader and former Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah did not find his name even in the second list.
Former government chief whip Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy from Bhupalpalli, former MP Ramesh Rathod from Khanapur (ST), former MLAs K Lakshma Reddy from Medchal and P Vishnuvardhan Reddy from Jubilee Hills got the Congress tickets in the second list.
Telangana PCC official spokesman Dasoju Sravan, who was virtually fighting for the ticket, managed to get one in the second list. He will be fighting the elections from Khairatabad assembly constituency in Hyderabad.
Ponnala, too, got an assurance that his name would be considered. There were reports that Telangana Jana Samithi president Prof M Kodandaram, who was originally supposed to contest from Jangaon assembly constituency, was sacrificing his ticket for Ponnala, who represented the constituency in the past.
As such, Ponnala was expecting that his name would be cleared in the second list.
Now, the latest reports from Delhi say Ponnala might be offered an MLC seat or Rajya Sabha nomination.
According to sources, Congress president Rahul Gandhi also suggested to Ponnala that he should forego Jangon seat and assured that he would be made an MLC or given RS nomination after elections.
The Congress has so far cleared candidates for 75 constituencies and is yet to finalise candidates for 19 more seats.