Medak LS seat: Hectic lobbying for TRS ticket

Hyderabad: With the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) being firmly in the saddle, the focus has now shifted to the Medak Lok Sabha constituency which will be vacated by TRS Chief K Chandrasekhar Rao after taking over as the Chief Minister of the new state.

A hectic lobbying has already begun in all the political camps for the party ticket to contest from the prestigious constituency. With KCR getting elected unanimously as the leader of the TRS legislature party, he will be required to vacate Medak LS seat, necessitating a by-election there. He had won from Medak with a margin of over 3.90 lakh votes.

There is a fierce competition for the Medak ticket within the TRS as party leaders have started lobbying, urging senior leaders to propose their names. The front runner among the aspirants is former IAS officer KV Ramana Chary, a native of Medak, who joined TRS after his retirement. KCR inducted him into the party's politburo.

He had already expressed his keenness to contest from Medak Lok Sabha seat. Another TRS leader Mynampalli Hanumanth Rao, who contested unsuccessfully from the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha, is also eyeing Medak seat.

Party sources said that he too has stepped up his lobbying as he hails from Medak district. Hanumanth Rao was an MLA from Medak Assembly constituency and being strong financially, he expects that the party would give him another chance.

The BJP too has a long list of ticket aspirants. Ch Narendranath, who contested against KCR unsuccessfully, wants to try his luck once again. The BJP leader, however, had to be content with third place by securing close to two lakh votes in the just-held election.

Congress leader T Jayaprakash Reddy (Jagga Reddy) has also expressed his desire to join BJP and contest from Medak. Earlier, Jagga Reddy was with the BJP but changed his loyalty to TRS and then to Congress.

Sources said that Jagga Reddy had already talked to senior BJP leaders in the state and expressed his desire to join the party.

Another BJP leader Aale Jitender, son of late A Narendra, is also eyeing for party ticket. In the Congress too, there is hectic lobbying for the seat as Vijayashanti may seek ticket from the constituency. Vijayashanti was earlier elected as MP from Medak during 2009 general elections.

She switched over to Congress before elections and contested unsuccessfully from Medak assembly constituency in the recent elections.

P Shravan Reddy, the contestant in the last elections may also seek another chance from the party. Another TRS leader, who joined Congress before elections Shravan Kumar Dasoju, is also in race for the ticket from the party, sources in the party said.