Parties face major rebel trouble in AP
hyderabad — All the major parties in Andhra Pradesh including the Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) are faced with major rebel trouble in the twophased elections in the state.
In Telangana, where Saturday was the last date for withdrawal of nominations, several candidates from these parties continued to be in the fray, not heeding their party bosses’ appeals to withdraw.
Congress, TDP and TRS are bound to have a tough time grappling with the rebel menace, with 51 rebel candidates, across the political spectrum, still in the fray for elections to the 119 assembly constituencies of Telangana region, which goes to polls on April 30.
The large number of disgruntled ticket-aspirants is likely to play spoilsport and influence the poll outcome in many constituencies. The situation is such that the parties concerned are more worried than the rival candidates about the impact of rebels within their ranks and how much damage they can do to the official nominees. Though Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh stayed put in Hyderabad for a couple of days to persuade party rebels to withdraw from the race, many of them bluntly refused to pull out. Telangana
Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah himself is facing a rebel candidate in Bakka Jadson, one of the secretaries of the PCC, in Jangaon assembly constituency in Warangal district. Incidentally, Lakshmaiah is one of the contenders for the chief minister’s post in the new state of Telangana, which comes into effect on June 2.
TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, being projected as the architect of the successful Telangana statehood movement, is also facing rebel trouble. In Medak Lok Sabha seat, TRS rebel Beeriah Yadav has refused to withdraw his nomination. He even lodged a complaint with the election authorities, alleging that TRS legislators K T Rama Rao and T Harish Rao were threatening him.
Even in Gajwel assembly constituency where the TRS chief is contesting the election, a party rebel K Linga Reddy is in the fray.