TRS likely to field tribal leader to retain Sagar seat

Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrashekar Rao is likely to spring up a big surprise ahead of Nagarjunasagar bypoll by announcing a candidate from the Tribal community, whose votes are crucial for victory in the constituency.

The party leadership has been deliberating on the ideal candidate and strategising to regain the seat. The bypoll to Nagarjunasagar constituency has been necessitated after sitting MLA Nomula Narasimhaiah recently died after prolonged illness. Sources in the ruling TRS said that the party was exploring all possible chances to win the election and once again show its supremacy to its rivals, the BJP and the Congress.

Sources said that the TRS chief might take the decision to announce a tribal candidate from Nalgonda district. The name of Ramchandru Naik is prominently heard, said sources. The party leadership is taking opinion of leaders on the prospects if Naik could be announced as its candidate. Sources said that the leaders seem to have told the TRS chief that Naik could be an ideal choice as he was a non-controversial leader.

Ramchandru Naik started his career from CPM and later joined Telugu Desam. He joined the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) and contested the 2009 elections. However, he had to join Congress after the merger of the party, but remained silent. Before the 2014 elections, he joined the TRS and presently is the chairman of district Rythu Samanvaya Samithi.

The party leaders said that he had a good image in the constituency and if given a chance, he could even win from the constituency. The idea is to attract the tribal votes who can decide the fate of the candidate in the constituency. There are 1.25 lakh voters from the SC, ST and Yadav communities, including 45,000 tribal voters. Party leaders said that he could garner support of 75 per cent people in the constituency if he was made the candidate.

The first choice of the party for Nagarjunasagar has been Nomula Bhagat, son of Narasimhaiah. However, after the bitter experience in Dubbaka bypoll, the party is giving a second thought. In Dubbaka, S Ramalinga Reddy's wife Sujatha was given the ticket, but she lost a. In this scenario, the party feels that Naik's candidature could give a good chance for the party to regain the seat.