Congress netas vie for ‘family tickets’ in AP

By M H Ahssan

It is an unabashed hunger for power. But they are claiming that it is a deep urge to serve the state and the country. In a deluge of sorts, the state Congress has been bombarded by requests for Lok Sabha and assembly tickets from top party leaders for their wives, sons, daughters, brothers and other relatives.

Former chief minister N Janardhan Reddy, whose wife is currently a minister in the state, wants a ticket for his son N Ravi Reddy from Venkatagiri Assembly constituency in Nellore district currently held by his wife. Senior Congress leader G Venkataswamy, who is now MP from Peddapalli constituency, wants his second son Vivek to be accommodated from the same constituency in his place. His elder son G Vinod is already a minister in the YSR cabinet while son-in-law Shankar Rao is Congress MLA from Shadnagar.

Rajya Sabha member T Subbarami Reddy is lobbying for his wife Indira’s candidature from Visakhapatnam LS constituency. State minister P Sabita Indira Reddy is trying for a LS nomination for her son Karthik Reddy from Chevella, while irrigation minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah wants an Assembly ticket for his daughterin-law Vaishali who was defeated from Station Ghanpur in Warangal district in last year’s byelections.

MLC Pulla Padmavati is pulling strings to get an assembly nomination for husband Pulla Bhaskar, who is Warangal town Congress president. Another minister J Ratnakar Rao wants his son to succeed him in Korutla constituency from Karimanagar district. Congress MLA from Nalgonda K Venkatareddy is trying for his brother’s nomination from the newly-created Bhonagir LS constituency.

Even as PCC president D Srinivas is lobbying for an assembly ticket for his son Sanjay, his predecessor K Keshava

Rao wants the Serilingapalli assembly ticket for his son Viplav Kumar. Mallu Ramesh, a family member of Jedcherla MLA Mallu Ravi, is being promoted for Madhira constituency. P Vishnuvardhan Reddy, Khairtabad MLA and son of PJR, wants an assembly ticket not only for himself but also for his sister. Musheerabad MLA T Manemma and widow of Congress leader T Anjaiah wants the ticket to be transferred to her son T Srinivas Reddy while MLC Palvai Goverdhan Reddy is insisting that his daughter be given the Mungod assembly ticket in Nalgonda district. In the Rayalaseema region, panchayat raj minister J C Diwakar Reddy wants to field his brother Prabhakar Reddy from Anantapur LS constituency, currently held by A Venkatrama Reddy, a protege of chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

Kotla seeks LS seat for himself and assembly for wife
Kurnool MP Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy is seeking a LS ticket for himself and the assembly ticket for his wife Sujata. G Pratap Reddy, another MLA from Kurnool district, is lobbying for an assembly ticket for his brother while technical education minister P Chenga Reddy wants either his son or daughter to be given the assembly ticket.

In coastal Andhra Pradesh, minister Botsa Satyanarayana, whose wife Jhansi is already Bobbili MP, wants an assembly ticket for his brother as well. Municipal minister K Rangarao, who wants to retire from active politics, wants his Tiruvur assembly seat in Krishna district to be passed on to his daughter.

In Guntur district, senior leaders MP R S Rao and minister K Laxminarayana and MLA T Venkata Rao want tickets for their family members while MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy and minister R Damodar Reddy want their MLA brothers to be renominated.

According to sources, all the names have been included in the list forwarded by the pradesh election committee to the high command for consideration.