Ponnam Prabhakar’s brother-in-law denied Congress ticket in Jangaon
JANGAON: Peddi Naveen Kumar Goud, brother-in-law of minister Ponnam Prabhakar, was denied a Congress ticket for the Jangaon municipal council elections, leading to disappointment among his supporters.
Ticket denied after ward-wise candidate finalisation
Naveen Kumar had sought the Congress ticket from Ward No. 6 and had applied to the party’s selection committee. Of the 30 wards in Jangaon municipality, 21 candidates were announced on Saturday, while nominees for the remaining five wards were finalised on Monday. His name did not figure in the final list.
As part of the alliance arrangement, the Congress allocated three wards to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one ward to the Communist Party of India.
Local opposition cites “outsider” tag
Naveen Kumar is the younger brother of Ponnam Prabhakar’s wife. He is known as Jangaon district president of the Athletics Association and as a leader of the district and state rice millers’ associations. He is the son of Venkatanarayana Goud of Hanumakonda.
Venkatanarayana Goud had hoped to see his son elected as councillor and later elevated as municipal chairman, citing the family’s association with Jangaon.
However, several local Congress leaders from Ward No. 6 opposed Naveen Kumar’s candidature, branding him a non-local. They conducted consultations and submitted a signed representation to MP Ramala Kiran.
Bukka Bala Bharadwaj gets Congress nod
Following this, the Congress selected Bukka Bala Bharadwaj as its candidate from Ward No. 6. Bharadwaj had earlier filed nominations twice but withdrew them at the party’s request. Party leaders reportedly felt he had a better chance of winning.
It is learnt that minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Mahesh Goud and MP Chamala Naveen were involved in the discussions before the final decision.
Sources said Naveen Kumar is considering contesting as an independent candidate or exploring the option of entering the fray from another party. When contacted by Andhra Jyothi, Venkatanarayana Goud confirmed these developments.
