Member of Parliament (Kurnool) S. Sanjeev Kumar turned out to be the latest in the series to quit the ruling YSR Congress Party. The general surgeon and urologist formally submitted his resignation to the position as well as to the primary membership of the party on Wednesday, in response to the party’s decision to change the constituency in-charge.
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The MP, who maintained a low profile throughout his stint, expressed anguish at reportedly being snubbed by the high command, which, he said, had not given priority to his dream projects for the district.
Representing a constituency known for its backwardness and vulnerability to drought conditions, Dr. Kumar had sought concrete measures to arrest migration of workers and farmer suicides, but felt that the action from the government was not commensurate to his expectations. He had also proposed a national highway from Kurnool to Ballari (Karnataka), but could not achieve much headway on this front.
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Looking beyond the Kurnool Lok Sabha seat, rumblings are getting louder in the Kurnool Assembly constituency also, with several aspirants keen to throw their hat in the ring. With the party remaining silent on continuing the Kurnool sitting MLA M.A. Hafeez Khan, his arch rival S.V. Mohan Reddy says he and his wife Vijaya Manohari, who is currently the chairperson of Kurnool District Cooperative Bank, are back in the reckoning.
While Mr. Reddy’s group worked for Khan’s victory in the 2019 elections in deference to Mr. Jagan’s call, he now expects the favour returned.
Among the new faces trying for the seat, former DCC president Ahmed Ali Khan joined the party hoping for the ticket, while Pulivendula Area Development Authority (PADA) PRO Shaik Poola Basheer Ahmed, who has a close association with Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy family and is a liaison officer in the CMO for Pulivendula constituency, is also aspiring to contest from Kurnool. Banking on his Shaik sub-sect, which has a majority among the Kurnool’s vast Muslim vote base, Mr. Basheer is confident of having an edge over the rival minority candidates.
On the other hand, the TDP’s T.G. Bharat, who lost on a flimsy margin earlier, is leaving no stone unturned to make good use of the anti-incumbency votes.