Will fight on Congess ticket from Huzurabad: Koushik Reddy
The Hindu
‘Chance meeting with KTR at a function cannot be construed as consent to join the party’
Congress leader P. Koushik Reddy has ruled out joining the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and said he would contest in Huzurabad on the Congress ticket again and would win comfortably. At a press conference here, he said a chance meeting with Municipal Minister K.T. Rama Rao at a function cannot be construed as a consent to join the party. “In fact, I told KTR that Congress would win the Huzurabad seat,” he said. Mr. Reddy’s picture with Mr. Rama Rao went viral on Friday but he clarified that both had met at the 10th-day ceremony of a close friend’s father. It is also being rumoured that his name was being considered by the TRS for the bypoll, which is likely to be held in a few months since Mr. Rajender’s resignation has been accepted and vacancy notified. Mr. Koushik Reddy, who unsuccessfully contested against Eatala Rajender in Huzurabad in 2018 Assembly elections, has ridiculed the latter’s comments that TRS gave him money for his defeat. “This is nothing but frustration on being expelled from the Cabinet,” he said. He asked as to why Mr. Rajender was silent for two years if he had taken money from the TRS. He also charged the former Minister with neglecting Telangana martyrs and their families and raking up the issue only when he is out of TRS party. “Why were you silent on martyrs all these years?” he asked.Sitting MP and DMK ally IUML’s candidate K. Navas Kani registered a remarkable victory from Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday. While Mr. Navas Kani polled 5,09,664 votes, O. Panneerselvam, Independent candidate supported by the BJP, bagged 3,42,882 votes, AIADMK candidate Jayaperumal secured 99,780 votes and Naam Tamilar Katchi candidate Dr. Chandra Prabha Jeyapaul bagged 97,672 votes. As many as 6,275 voters pressed NOTA button.
Hailed as the “hrudayavanta” (man with a kind heart), cardiologist C.N. Manjunath registered a resounding victory by beating the three-time MP, D.K. Suresh, and sending ripples across Bengaluru Rural seat, a bastion strongly controlled by Mr. Suresh and his brother Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.