KHAMMAM: In the December 2018 Assembly elections, while the Congress party went down in most of the 31 districts, it was in Khammam that its coalition with TDP won five out of seven seats. So when the Parliament elections came up on the horizon, the stakes for Khammam ticket shot up. Assured of a victory, many senior Congress leaders like V Hanumantha Rao, Vijayashanthi, Revanth Reddy, Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy and Renuka Chowdhury began lobbying for the seat.
However, the recent turn of events indicates a turn of tides in favour of the Congress’ chief opposition, TRS. MLAS — from both the Congress and Telugu Desam parties — are fast inclining towards the ruling TRS. In Khammam, Palair MLA and Congress leader Kandala Upender Reddy, Sattupalli MLA and TDP leader Sandra Venkata Veeraiah, and Kothgudem MLA and Congress leader Vanam Venkateswara Rao have already expressed willingness to join the pink party.
The Kothgudem MLA even called on the party’s working president KT Rama Rao in Hyderabad on Friday. Meanwhile, the unattached Wyra MLA Ramulu Naik has already joined the pink bandwagon.