Rebellion by aspirants of party tickets in the erstwhile Adilabad district, especially in Congress, is almost as old a phenomenon as the elections. In the past, rebellion was a matter of pride and ego and the aspirants would jump into the fray to prove a point or two to the party high command.
A four-time MLA, former Minister and former DCC president, C. Ramchander Reddy, has won two of the five elections from Adilabad Assembly constituency that he fought as a rebel. This is perhaps a record in itself.
All the rebellions were confined to Mudhole, Nirmal, Adilabad, Sirpur and Luxettipet constituencies. The maximum number of elections where the party faced opposition from its ow rebel was five in Adilabad constituency.
The first rebel candidates of the Congress party to fight an election did so in Mudhole and Nirmal constituencies in the 1957 elections. In Mudhole, Gopidi Ganga Reddy contested as an independent and defeated the official nominee Ranga Rao Saheb Khande Rao Saheb, while Muthyam Reddy defeated Congress nominee R. Deshpande as a rebel independent.
In the 1967 elections, G. Gaddenna, the Congress rebel and father of present TRS candidate from the constituency, Vittal Reddy, won against party candidate Gopidi Ganga Reddy. After a long gap, Narayan Rao Patel, a former MLA from Mudhole, is likely to contest as a rebel from the constituency in the December 7 elections, but on a Nationalist Congress Party ticket. Vittal Rao Deshpande was the rebel in Adilabad constituency in 1962 who won against Communist Party of India’s Kastal Ram Kishtoo, having contested as an independent after being denied ticket by the Congress. Mr. Ramchander Reddy fought the 1978, 1983, 1985 and 1999 elections as a Congress rebel and won the 1978 and 1985 elections.
Congress rebel G.V. Pitanbar Rao defeated party candidate J.V. Narsing Rao in the 1962 elections from Luxettipet constituency. In the elections in the same year, Sirpur constituency saw the Congress nominee G. Sanjiva Reddy defeating the rebel M. Balaramaiah.
The grand old party could have rebel trouble in the December 7 elections too, mainly from Narayan Rao Patel in Mudhole, who has been denied the party ticket in favour of his cousin Rama Rao Patel Pawar. Mr. Ramchander Reddy, who has been denied nomination by his party, is likely to take a decision on contesting as a rebel after consulting his supporters on November 18.
