PNS|Hyderabad
Telangana Congress politics is now revolving around the Palair Assembly constituency.
The joining of former Minister Tummala Nageswar Rao, the merging of the YSR Telangana Party headed by YS Sharmila with the Congress and keeping former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy who joined the Congress recently happy depends on the decision of high command on the Palair Assembly seat.
Former Congress MP Ponguleti joined the Congress after getting an assurance from the high command, sources said. Former Minister Tummala who was denied an Assembly ticket by the BRS has decided to leave the party.
TPCC President Revanth Reddy held talks with Tummala and requested him to join the Congress. Sources said that Tummala told Congress leaders that he would join the Congress if the Palair Assembly ticket is given to him.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, Tummala contested from Palair as a BRS candidate and K. Upendar Reddy contested as a Congress candidate. In this election Congress candidate Upendar Reddy defeated Tummala by a margin of almost 7,000 votes. Later, Upendar Reddy joined the BRS. Now the BRS has given the Palair Assembly ticket to Upendar Reddy.
Meanwhile, YSR Telangana Party President YS Sharmila had announced long back that she will contest from Palair to the Assembly. After discussions started with Congress leaders for merging the YSRTP with the Congress, Sharmila repeatedly said that she would contest from Palair.
Sources said that the Congress high command is planning to give a Rajya Sabha ticket to Sharmila from Karnataka instead of the Palair Assembly seat. But Sharmila’s decision regarding this is not known.
If Sharmila accepts this offer, then Tummala may be given the Palair ticket and Ponguleti will be given Khammam.
Interestingly, two days ago Tummala and Ponguleti held discussions and Congress leaders think that the Palair Assembly ticket issue can be sorted out easily between Tummala and Ponguleti. But this can happen only if Sharmila gives up her demand for the Palair Assembly seat ticket.
