Hyderabad: Telangana BJP president G. Kishan Reddy is in search of a ‘safe seat’, with Congress leader V. Hanumantha Rao eyeing Amberpet amid reports of a Congress-MIM “internal understanding”.
“I am keen to contest from Amberpet. I have represented the issue to the party high command and am hopeful of securing ticket,” said Mr Hanumantha Rao, a Congress Rajya Sabha member. “I also sought the MIM’s support and it is willing to support me to defeat the BJP,” he said.
Mr Kishan Reddy won the seat in 2009 by nearly 27,000 votes in the constituency with over 50,000 Muslim votes. His victory was easy as the Congress had fielded an ‘outsider’, Mohd Fareeduddin of Medak. Though the MIM left the seat to Congress, it was alleged that the VHR camp worked against Fareeduddin.
The VHR camp has already started campaigning on the BC plank, and is claiming that he would be the top choice to be the first CM of Telangana.
Asked about Amberpet, Mr Kishan left it to the leadership to decide his constituency as per its needs. “If at all there is a change in my constituency, it will be not because of the VHR effect.” But party insiders say Mr Kishan urged the leadership to consider his candidature from other constituencies, mainly Secunderabad.
