Hyderabad: Politicians are coming up with ingenious ways to throw in their hat in the ring for the forthcoming elections to get their choice of constituencies before official announcement by the respective parties.
P. Karthik Reddy, eldest son of former home minister Sabita Indra Reddy, is undertaking a 5-day 110 km walkathon from Bandlaguda to Tandur in Ranga Reddy district.
The Telangana Nava Nirmaan Yatra, being conducted seemingly to thank UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for giving Telangana, sources say is a ploy to bag the Chevella Lok Sabha ticket, presently represented by Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy. Sabita Indra Reddy, the present MLA from Chevella Assembly constituency, is caught in the CBI net in the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy assets case.
“The yatra is aimed to mark the end of the Telangana struggle, congratulate the Telangana people on a new beginning, and thank Sonia Gandhiji’s exemplary leadership. This new state is, indeed, her gift to all the Telangana people,” Karthik Reddy told this newspaper.
On his plans to contest from Chevella parliamentary or any other Assembly seat, he said it was entirely the party’s decision. Sources say Kathik Reddy met Jaipal Reddy with a request to support him in case he shifts to Assembly or any other Lok Sabha constituency. Speculations are rife that Jaipal Reddy’s name is being considered for the post of Chief Minister in the new state of Telangana.
Others angling for constituencies of their choice includes Telugu Desam city president T. Srinivas Yadav, who contested and lost from Secunderabad Assembly constituency, now plans to shift to the Sanathnagar Assembly constituency which is presently represented by NDMA vice-chairman M. Shashidhar Reddy of the Congress.
Yadav organised a Ayyappa pooja in Audaiah Nagar graced by TD?chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, to make his presence felt in the constituency. His close pal T. Padma Rao of the TRS is focussing on Secunderabad Assembly constituency.
TRS leader Chinta Prabhakar is attending every programme and function in Sangareddy Assembly constituency, from where he plans to contest. While Karkhana Road in Secunderabad is flooded with huge billboards publicising the contribution of TD MLA from Medak, Mynampalli Hanumanth Rao.
Hanumantha Rao plans to contest from Malkajgiri Assembly constituency. Another aspirant, Nakka Prabhakar Goud has put up billboards hailing party chief Naidu as a visionary in Medchal. Kodangal TD MLA Revanth Reddy says, “My first choice in next polls is a Lok Sabha ticket.” That is the bottom line for many aspirants in every party.
