Leaders Struggle To Keep Rebels Out Of Fray

ADILABAD: It has been a tough time for major political parties to ensure withdrawal of rebel candidates from the municipal poll fray in the erstwhile Adilabad district.A clear picture would emerge only after the release of the final list of candidates in the fray. Party district presidents and sitting MLAs of respective parties have been persuading rebels to withdraw their papers. Some of the party candidates have decided to remain in the fray as independent candidates since today was the last day for withdrawal of nomination. Senior leaders are promising the rebel candidates that their party would adjust the amounts they spent for clearing the required bills, including on electricity, as also municipal and nomination expenditures. The leaders are asking the party’s official candidates who got the party B Form to adjust the amounts with the rebel candidates as part of a deal for withdrawing their nominations from the fray. Some rebel candidates are seeing an opportunity for a bargain. They are demanding a few lakhs from the party’s nominees for withdrawing their nominations. Some have withdrawn their nominations when senior Congress leaders persuaded them to do so. They have been promised co-option members’ posts in the municipal council. In a video posted on social media, Kalala Srinivas, who was refused a party ticket from Vidyanagar (ward no 43) of Adilabad municipality, requested the voters of a colony to vote for him and clarified that he would remain in the fray as an independent. He said Adilabad Assembly constituency in-charge Kandi Srinivas Reddy had promised him a party ticket to contest as ward councilor, and also a good position in the party, when he joined the party before the Parliament elections. But, he failed to keep his promise. Congress candidate Sajid withdrew his nomination from Ward 3 of Adilabad municipality in the interest of the party when former TPCC general secretary Gandrath Sujatha urged him to do so. On the other hand, senior Congress leader K. Srihari Rao and Nirmal MLA Aleti Maheshwar Reddy attempted to get the rebel candidates from their respective parties withdraw from the race in Nirmal municipality. According to sources, the BJP promised the B form for Peddapelli Jagadeeshwar in 42 Division, but later issued it to Ankam Sanjitha, by changing the name in the list for the Mancherial municipal corporation.



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