Demanding the Secunderabad ticket, former Mayor of Hyderabad Banda Karthika Reddy and her husband Chandra Reddy sat in protest outside the residence of Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Thursday.
The protest lasted for five hours. Speaking to media, the former mayor lamented that the party had declined to give her the seat, and claims that it is being offered to someone who is not from the Secunderabad constituency. The Congress party has not announced the candidate for the Secunderabad constituency yet.
She said that she has been working in the interest of the party, but the party has not acknowledged her efforts. “In the 2014 Assembly elections, the Secunderabad seat was given to Jayasudha, however, we supported her. As a mayor I did a lot of work in the 24 constituencies of the GHMC. My husband has been working for the party for 30 years. If the party is declining a seat to a woman, what does it indicate?” she told reporters.
In 2014, actor Jayasudha contested from the Secunderabad Assembly and later defected to the Telugu Desam Party.
The Congress has released two lists with 75 candidates so far. Prominent candidates among them are Uttam Kumar Reddy, who will be contesting from Huzurnagar, Revanth Reddy from Kodangal, Jeevan Reddy from Jagtial, Mukesh Goud from Goshamahal, DK Aruna from Gadwal and Sabitha Indra Reddy from Maheshwaram.
With the candidates being denied tickets owing to the alliance, several party leaders have threatened a rebellion and decided to contest as independents. On Thursday, the Congress party suffered a jolt after former minister Sabitha Indra Reddy’s son, Karthik Reddy submitted his resignation after being denied a seat to contest. Karthik was hoping that the party would give him the Rajendra Nagar seat. However, the ticket went to Telugu Desam Party candidate Ganesh Gupta, as part of the alliance.
The grand alliance includes Congress, TDP, TJS and CPI.
Similarly, Manne Krishank, Congress spokesperson and youth leader, has threatened to contest as independent after the Secunderabad Cantonment seat was offered to his father-in-law, Sarve Satyanarayana.