TS ministers vie for party tickets for kin in ’19 polls

Sons of a few ministers already playing key roles in party

Ministers in the TRS government are vying for party tickets for their kin in 2019 Assembly elections. The sons of a few ministers are already playing key roles in party activities in respective districts and are claiming to be party candidates for Assembly polls.

This has led to a tussle within the party leaders and cadre. Those who have been working for the party for years with the hope of securing tickets are upset over ministers and their kin trying to grab tickets in their constituencies by exercising their influence and using money power.

In the city, the sons of cinematography minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav and excise minister T. Padma Rao Goud are keen to contest 2019 Assembly elections.

In Adilabad and Nirmal districts, the sons of forest minister Jogu Ramanna and endowments minister A. Indrakaran Reddy are making all out efforts to get TRS tickets.

This comes in the backdrop of speculations that TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is keen to take some senior party leaders and ministers to Delhi along with him by making them contest for Lok Sabha elections in 2019 as part of his strategy to focus on national politics.

With this, ministers are making advance plans to secure party tickets for their kin for the Assembly seats to be vacated by them. In Mahbubnagar district, panchayat raj minister Jupally Krishna Rao is trying for Assembly seat for his son.

In Nizamabad district, agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy wants his son to contest for Assembly seat in his place. Mr Srinivas Reddy is planning to quit active politics on health grounds.

In Warangal district, tourism minister Azmeera Chandulal is vying for Assembly ticket for his son from Mulug constituency. Mr Chandulal too has been facing health issues for the past three years and wants to quit politics but is keen on his seat to be allotted to his son.

With less than a year left for 2019 Assembly elections, the sudden emergence of sons of ministers as probable candidates has led to infighting between party leaders and cadre in districts.

The hopes of second rung leaders who are working for party for years are getting dashed with these developments as ministers and their sons are exercising both political and money power to secure tickets from the party high command.