Prabhakar is TRS pick, many others bristle

HYDERABAD: The discord between former MLA Koosukuntla Prabhakar Reddy and other second-rung leaders of the ruling TRS came to the fore in Munugode Assembly segment on Wednesday. However, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao convened a meeting in the evening at Pragathi Bhavan and pacified the dissidents.Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy, TRS Nalgonda president R Ravindra Naik and district party in-charge T Ravinder were also present. Finally, all the leaders decided to support the party candidate selected by the chief.

Later, speaking to reporters Jagadish Reddy said that the TRS supremo would announce the Munugode candidate shortly. He asserted that there was no dissidence in the party and everyone would support the party in the bypoll, whoever be the candidate. However, former MLA Prabhakar Reddy was not present in Wednesday’s meeting with Rao.Munugode segment is slated to face a bypoll within six months. Several ZPTCs, MPTCs and sarpanches who are opposing the candidature of Prabhakar Reddy, have written to KCR not to allot a ticket to Prabhakar Reddy.  

Earlier in the day, Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy convened a meeting with Munugode leaders here and advised them to abide by the decision of the party.There are several aspirants for the TRS ticket in Munugode, including former MP Boora Narsaiah Goud and former MLC Karne Prabhakar. The second-rung leaders, who are opposing the candidature of Prabhakar Reddy, are demanding that this time the TRS should give a chance to a Backward Class leader. They recalled that though the TRS won 88 Assembly in the 2018 elections, Prabhakar Reddy was defeated by Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy.  After holding talks with the dissident leaders, the Energy Minister went to Pragathi Bhavan along with them. However, Jagadish advised them to support any candidate picked by TRS. According to sources, the TRS is in favour of the candidature of Prabhakar Reddy.

Nalgonda is a TRS stronghold: Kavitha
Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad on Wednesday, TRS MLC K Kavitha said that the erstwhile Nalgonda district was a stronghold of TRS. “Whenever Munugode byelection is held, the TRS will win it,” Kavitha said. She recalled that the TRS defeated two stalwarts in Huzurnagar and Nagarjuna Sagar bypolls in the erstwhile Nalgonda district. Reacting to the political developments in Bihar, Kavitha said that Nitish Kumar countered the era of backdoor politics.“There should be an end to the backdoor politics and Bihar has shown the way,” she said.