How Khammam went from being just another seat to being a VVIP one

There is a specific reason why Khammam went from being just another constituency in Telangana to being one of the state's most prestigious seats. The seat attained a coveted status after the state Congress leadership passed a resolution urging Sonia Gandhi, later Rahul Gandhi and finally Priyanka Gandhi to contest therefrom, ToI reported on May 10.

Although none of the abovementioned said yes, the seat went on to become the most sought-after in the state with three big-name ministers seeking the seats for their kin, and the Congress party high command saying no to all of them, ToI's report (by Roushan Ali) said.

All attention will be focused on Khammam during the upcoming polling day on May 13, when Telangana's 17 Lok Sabha seats are up for grabs. Although the Congress hasn't clinched victory in this constituency for the last 15 years, it has shown strong performance in the assembly elections. The Congress party has put forward R Raghuram Reddy as its candidate, while the sitting MP Nama Nageswara Rao has been nominated by the BRS party. The BJP, aiming to broaden its influence in the region, has nominated Tandra Vinod Rao.

The contest for this seat sparked significant political tension, with three ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, advocating strongly for their family members to receive the ticket. Telangana Congress President and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, along with other ministers in his cabinet, made extensive efforts to persuade Sonia Gandhi to nominate either Rahul or Priyanka as a solution to avoid upsetting any of the three ministers.

Among these ministers, Bhatti Vikramarka hails from the SC community, revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas belongs to the Reddy community, and agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao is a member of the Kamma community. The Kamma community holds significant financial and political influence in both the constituency and the district.

What initially began as an effort by the state Congress to persuade a member of the Gandhi family to contest gradually evolved into a challenging task to select the candidate. Both the party and Chief Minister Revanth were focused on strengthening their positions following the Congress's victory in 64 assembly seats, four more than the required majority to form the government. In Khammam, the Congress secured victories in six out of the seven assembly segments, while the CPI, a pre-poll ally of Congress, won Kothagudem, the sole seat it contested in the 2023 assembly polls.

The party leadership took over a month to decide on the candidate for the seat, delaying the announcement until just a day remained for the nomination deadline, despite releasing the first list of four candidates for Telangana earlier. R Raghuram Reddy's name was finally announced after Bhatt Vikramarka and Ponguleti Srinivas were invited to Bengaluru, where AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge mediated between them. The issue was resolved over the phone with agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao.

All the three ministers assured the party leadership of working for the candidate finalised by the high command. Raghuram is the son of Ramasahayam Surender Reddy, a former Congress MP close to the Nehru-Gandhi family. Raghuram's son is married to Aashritha, daughter of actor D Venkatesh who is from Kamma community, his second son is wedded to the daughter of Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. The grand old party is banking on Raghuram's Reddy-Kamma link and its performance of winning all the seven assembly segments along with CPI, and even the support of the CPM, to win the seat, which it had last won in 2004. Political equations have changed a lot as Ponguleti had won this seat on a YSRCP ticket in 2014, later joined BRS and is now in Congress.

Despite not securing victory in any assembly seat within this parliamentary constituency, BRS is optimistic about maintaining its hold on Khammam. The party's confidence stems from its success in winning the constituency in 2019, despite only winning one of the seven assembly segments in the 2018 state elections.

Meanwhile, the BJP is extending its influence in the region, with prominent figures such as Home Minister Amit Shah addressing a public gathering in the constituency. BJP leaders express assurance about securing their first victory in Khammam, noting that the dynamics of parliamentary elections differ, and factors such as Modi's popularity, the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and the promise of a "double engine government" will influence the outcome of the election.