Adviser to the government G. Vivekanand on Friday resigned from his post in protest against denial of TRS ticket to him to contest from the Peddapalli Lok Sabha constituency.
He was Congress MP from Peddapalli in 2009-2014 but had switched loyalties to the TRS in 2013 and returned to the Congress towards the end of his term to contest from the same constituency, only to lose to the then TRS candidate Balka Suman. It was said that he returned to the Congress because his brother and former Minister G. Vinod was not given ticket to contest from the Chennur Assembly constituency.
After the TRS formed government in 2014, the brothers had joined the party again and, two years ago, Dr. Vivekanand was appointed Advisor. However, Mr. Vinod was again denied TRS ticket to contest from Chennur in recent Assembly election. So, Mr. Vinod contested as Bahujan Samajwadi Party candidate from Bellampally, which resulted in his suspension from the TRS.
Sources said Dr. Vivek had supported Mr. Vinod against TRS candidate D. Chinnaiah at Bellampally. The TRS leaders complained against him to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao that he had backed rebel candidates against the party nominee at Dharmapuri also.
In these circumstances, Dr. Vivek was denied ticket. In his resignation letter to the Chief Minister, Dr. Vivek recalled that Mr. Rao had invited him back into the party with the assurance that he would get ticket to contest from Peddapalli in 2019. Since he was not nominated by the party, he decided to resign as Advisor.
Dr. Vivek’s followers said he would continue in the party.