Anantapur/Kakinada With no alliance with TD or any other party, the AP Congress Committee launched its election campaign on its own and announced that it was ready to receive applications from aspirants of both Lok Sabha and AP Assembly seats in the state.
The District Congress Committee offices of concerned district headquarters have been earmarked as venues to receive applications from interested candidates who wished to contest as Congress candidates in the upcoming polls.
After the programme launched at Anantapur DCC office, APCC chief N. Raghuveera Reddy submitted his application seeking Kalyanadurgam Assembly seat on Thursday.
Mr Reddy hails from Madakasira Assembly segment that is reserved for SC. He contested from Kalyanadurgam in 2009 elections and served as minister for five years.
Later after the state bifurcation and the increasing anti-wave for Congress, Mr Reddy shifted to Penukonda Assembly but failed to get even his deposit back in a triangular fight.
The APCC chief is once again planning to contest from Kalyanadurgam Assembly segment.
Though the Congress party cadres hoped for an alliance with Telugu Desam, the TD high command reportedly stepped back following the debacle in Telangana polls.
Mr Raghuveera Reddy submitted his application to Anantapur DCC president Mr Kota Satyam.
Referring to the many party leaders and cadres from Congress who had shifted to TD hoping for an alliance with TD, Mr Raghuveera Reddy said that as there was no alliance, they were coming back and rejoining the Congress.
“We will first get the signature on Special Category Status after being voted to power at Centre,” he said and further added that many developmental works such as the railway line between Rayadurgam-Bengaluru, Kalyanadurgam-Anatnapur were still pending.
On the first day of the campaign, about 10 aspirants submitted their applications at the DCC office.
Mr K. Rajiv Reddy for Anantapur Lok Sabha, Mr C. Venkatramudu for Hindupur Lok Sabha and Mr K. T. Sridhar from Penukonda were among those who submitted their applications.
29 applications received on first day
Once upon a time, political leaders used to compete with one another to get Assembly or Parliament tickets to contest in the elections. Then groupism marred the image of the Congress but the jostling for tickets continued.
However, after bifurcation of the state, the scenario has changed entirely and the party is such a bad position that the leaders are begging the cadre to apply for tickets.
The Party has invited applications from aspirants. Applicants can give the form from February 7 to 10. On Thursday, the District Congress Committee incharge and Pradesh Congress Committee secretary S.N. Raja started the process.
According to sources, the first day, the party gave 26 applications for Assembly and 3 applications for Lok Sabha constituencies, out of which 14 candidates filled up the applications and submitted it to the party.
Martin Luther submitted his application from Amalapuram Lok Sabha constituency and Akula Bhagya Lakshmi and another aspirant wanted to contest from Rajahmundry Lok Sabha constituency.
Party sources said that the former Union Minister M.M.Pallam Raju was a likely candidate for Kakinada Lok Sabha Constituency and may take the application on February 10.
