Caste Equation: Key in Candidate Selection?
The congress party has been swift in selecting candidates for the lok sabha elections, and they are focusing efforts on securing victory in three crucial seats. Out of the 17 lok sabha seats in the state, candidates for 14 seats have been finalized, while the candidates for the khammam, karimnagar, and hyderabad lok sabha seats are still pending.
The selection of candidates for these constituencies is being carefully considered, particularly given the significance of caste equations in these areas. Leaders are confident in the Congress's victory in khammam, where the influence of other parties is limited. Despite being in power twice, the Bharatiya Rashtriya Samithi (BRS) could not secure Khammam. The situation for the bharatiya janata party (BJP) is similarly challenging.
Therefore, even with a delayed candidate declaration, there's a prevailing sense that victory is possible. khammam boasts strong local leaders as well as non-locals. Renuka Chaudhary was strategically sidelined after being given a rajya sabha seat early. The contenders for this seat, Bhatti Vikramarka, Ponguleti srinivas Reddy, and Tummala Nageswara Rao, have refrained from contesting, causing a delay in candidate selection. The primary competition is between Ponguleti's brother, Prasada Reddy, and Bhatti Vikramarka's wife, Nandini.
However, the selection of the candidate for the karimnagar seat is intertwined with the khammam seat. If the backward classes (BCs) are favoured in karimnagar, it would pave the way for praveen Reddy's candidacy there. If the Other Castes (OC) are given the seat in khammam, the congress will retain bc representation there.
The connection between these two seats is causing the delay in candidate selection. The congress, keen on gaining a foothold in karimnagar, will meticulously consider all aspects before selecting candidates. Ultimately, the selection of the candidate has been kept pending with the belief that victory is certain whenever a seat is secured in Khammam.