Renuka-Nama bout in Khamam – Clash of Titatns

(Online Desk)

An interesting clash is on cards between the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and Congress, to Khammam Lok Sabha constituency.

Entrepreneur Nama Venkateswar Rao, who switched sides from TDP to TRS and got the Khammam LS seat, which he held not once twice in the past – 2004 and 2009 as TDP nominee will be crossing swords with firebrand Renuka Chowdary of Congress, who also served as Union Minister in Dr Manmohan Singh cabinet. In fact, Nama has defeated Renuka once and lost once to her in the past.

In 2004, Renuka Chowdary was the winner, but the tables were turned in 2009, when Nama won by more than a lakh votes.

What is more interesting is that the TDP which opposed to Congress in 2004, 2009 and 20014 polls is now opt to back the same party.  That Khammam, always been a problematic to ruling TRS, which failed to make inroads even during 2014 ‘sentiment wave’ was due to majority of migrants from Krishna, Guntur and Godavari districts.

Surprisingly, the YSRCP candidate Ajay Kumar Puvvada won the Khammam LS seat by mere 5,000-plus votes.

Khammam is considered as a traditional stronghold of TDP and hence with that party extending support to the Congress, many feel Renuka Chowdary has an edge, although whatever small margin it may be.

But, the TRS camp feels that Nama Nageswar Rao joining the party, it has better chance to snatch the seat from TDP-Cong combine.  Shot in the arm is the joining of Kothagudem MLA Vanama Venkateswaar Rao and Palair MLA, K Upender, who won on Congress tickets in the recent assembly polls, crossed over to TRS recently and vouch to work for the TRS Lok Sabha candidate Nama.  Added to it another political foe of Nama, Jalagam Venkat Rao, who fought assembly polls, also decided to back him.

Thus far, Khammam LS, becomes one of the key Constituency, where the Congress got an outside chance to win, while the ruling TRS appears more than confident of winning the all important seat in southern part of the state, where it failed to penetrate since the state bifurcation, with Nama joining its ranks.