The selection of the Congress candidate for the Karimnagar parliamentary seat seems to be a matter of ongoing debate and uncertainty within the party. Despite nine meetings of the central election committee, the issue remains unresolved.
Initially, there was support for Rajender Rao, with Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and other legislators backing him. However, there seems to be indecision regarding whether to allocate the position to a Reddy or Velama candidate, with names like Praveen Reddy and Rajender Rao being considered.
Now, there’s a possibility that the seat might be allocated to BCs instead of these two social groups. The name of Rudra Santoshkumar is also under consideration, but there are discussions about announcing the candidacy of Teenmar Mallanna instead, who is vying for a ticket from Bhuvanagiri.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and party state affairs in-charge Deepadas Munshi have presented this proposal to the central committee, which may be the reason for the delay in announcing Rajender Rao’s candidacy. However, Rudra Santhoshkumar has voiced concerns about giving tickets to non-locals, arguing that it could harm the party’s prospects in the elections.
There’s also a fear that labeling candidates as non-locals, as done by BJP candidate Bandi Sanjay Kumar and BRS candidate Boinapalli Vinodkumar, could further damage the Congress’s chances. Santosh Kumar is highlighting the fact that Vinod Kumar, from a neighboring district, previously won as Karimnagar MP, emphasizing the importance of fielding a local candidate to prevent BJP gains.
