Lok Sabha elections: Congress releases 8 names, Revanth Reddy gets Malkajgiri

HYDERABAD: The Congress on Friday finalised candidates for 8 of the total 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana. Congress working president A Revanth Reddy will be contesting from Malkajgiri. While Ponnam Prabhakar will fight from Karimnagar, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who joined Congress days before the Assembly polls will seek re-election from Chevella which he had won on an TRS ticket in 2014.


The central election committee of the Congress, with TPCC President N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka met in New Delhi on Friday and finalised the first list of candidates for 8 Lok sabha seats. Candidates for the remaining 9 constituencies are likely to be finalised on Saturday. Sources in AICC said that TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy had a “big say” in finalisation of the candidates.

The list of 8 candidates include former Union minister Balram Naik who will fight from Mahbubabad and former MP and minister A Chandrasekhar who was taken back into the Congress fold after revoking his suspension five days ago. Chandrasekhar will fight from Peddapelle. As TOI had reported earlier, five of the 8 candidates finalised lost the Assembly polls.

Other names in the list are of Ramesh Rathod, who will fight from Adilabad, Congress IT cell chief Madan Mohan (Zahirabad) and Gali Anil Kumar (Medak).

Revanth Reddy will be contesting from Malkajgiri, the biggest constituency. He was initially asked by the party leadership to contest the Lok Sabha elections from one of the three constituencies of Malkajgiri, Mahbubanagar and Khammam. Finally, it was decided that he should contest from Malkajgiri.

Despite the fact that Revanth faced a defeat by 9,000 votes at the hamds of TRS candidate Patnam Narender Reddy from Kodangal in the Assembly election, the party leadership was keen on Revanth contesting Lok Sabha polls. “Revanth’s entry into the Lok Sabha polls will instill a much-needed confidence among party leaders and cadre at the polling booth level,” a senior Congress leader said.