The dissidence within the TRS in the Munugode Assembly constituency which will have a bypoll in the wake of the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy was taken to the notice of Chief Minister and party president K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday.
About 30 MPTCs, ZPTCs and sarpanches of TRS who were opposed to former MLA Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy as party candidate for the bypoll gathered at the residence of Energy Minister G. Jagdish Reddy here during the day to convey their displeasure with Mr. Prabhakar Reddy. Some of them had already written to Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao as senior party leaders dropped hints that Mr. Prabhakar Reddy was likely to be the candidate again though he had lost the 2018 Assembly elections.
The leaders made their point clear to Mr. Jagdish Reddy that they would not work for Mr. Prabhakar Reddy if he was given the ticket.
After trying to pacify them for several hours, Mr. Jagdish Reddy took the entire group to Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao to resolve the issue. Mr. Prabhakar Reddy was not invited to the meeting, sources said.
Emerging from the meeting with Mr. Rao, the Minister told media persons that the party candidate would be declared by the Chief Minister and the decision would be binding on every one of them. He denied dissidence in party.
The Minister said the party would try to expose the Congress MLA whose vested interests paved the way for byelection though the general elections were only one and a half years away. Mr. Rajgopal Reddy never strove for the welfare of people of the constituency. He was always focused on benefits for his family.
He also said it was agreed at Wednesday’s meeting at his house that everyone would work for the victory of whoever party candidate would be.
Apart from Mr. Prabhakar Reddy, former MP B. Narsaiah Goud, Legislative Council chairman G. Sukhender Reddy and former MLC Karne Prabhakar aspired for ticket. But, Mr. Prabhakar Reddy was said to be a strong favourite of the Chief Minister and the Minister.
