Old rivals Renuka Chowdary and Nama Nageswara Rao to square off in Khammam

HYDERABAD: The Congress has named former Union minister Renuka Chowdary as its candidate from Khammam Lok Sabha constituency and she will contest against TRS’s

Nama Nageswara Rao

, an industrialist and one of the richest politicians in India. Renuka’s name figured in the 7th list of candidates announced on Friday night.

With Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielding Vasudev Rao and the CPM’s B Venkat in fray, the contest for Khammam seat has turned all the more interesting. Though political observers said that with Renuka fighting from Khammam seat, it would be a straight contest between the Congress and the TRS in the constituency.

Meanwhile, the comrades said if anyone is taking them lightly, then they are doing it out of ignorance as Left parties have strong cadre base in Khammam. This time D Venkat is the candidate of both CPM and CPI as an alliance has been worked out. Tammineni Veerabhadram of CPM had won Khammam Lok Sabha seat in 1998 and TB Vittal Rao of CPI in 1957. “The Left parties have a strong base in Khammam and the CPM and CPI have worked for the welfare of adivasis in the constituency,” CPM state committee member M Srinivas told TOI.

Sources said Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, sitting MP from Khammam, lobbied for the Congress ticket, after he was denied TRS ticket by CM KCR, but was unsuccessful. Nageswara Rao was given the TRS ticket hours after he joined the party after quitting the TDP.

Renuka won from Khammam twice in 1999 and 2004, but was defeated by Nageswara Rao of TDP in 2009. In 2014, Srinivas Reddy of YSRC defeated Nageswara Rao and later joined TRS.