NELLORE: After the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), it is now the turn of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to officially announce its support to Congress rebel Bommireddy Raghavendra Reddy for the Legislative Council seat under the local body quota.

"The party has decided to extend its support to Independents — Raghavendra Reddy for the local authorities' constituency (LAC), D. Ramireddy for the teachers' constituency and V. Balasubrahmanyam for the graduates' constituency of East Rayalaseema region — for a variety of reasons," CPI(M) leader T.P. Bhanu Raju told reporters here on Thursday.

Outlining the rationale behind the decision, the CPI(M) leader claimed that the party had decided to support the Congress rebel, who had filed his nomination as an Independent, with a view to defeating Congress official nominee C.V. Sesha Reddy.

The party had decided to support two other Independents — Ramireddy and Balasubrahmanyam — given their `impeccable' record in social service, he said.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M)'s decision to support the Congress rebel could fetch a significant number of votes to him as the party has 26 members of which 22 are MPTC members and four are corporators.

TRS rebel's support

Sangareddy: Telangana Rashtra Samithi's dissident legislator Toorpu Jayaprakash Reddy addressing a constituency-level all-party meeting to garner support for Bhupal Reddy contesting for the LAC asked them to gather at common place two days ahead of elections to prevent poaching.

However he wanted ZPTCs, MPTCs, municipal chairpersons and councillors to vote for the Congress candidate cutting across party lines. The dissident legislator called upon his followers in Sangareddy, Sadasivapet, Kondapur, Patancheru and Ramachandrapuram mandals to see that the Congress candidate got all the 133 votes that fall under his constituency.

Majority

He stressed that a majority to Bhupal Reddy would further impress the Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy encouraging him to do more for the constituency.

Even though Mr. Bhupal Reddy was the only candidate representing a political party, the Congress did not want to take chances, said Medak incharge and APSRTC Regional Chairman Jaganmohan Rao.

Zilla Parishad Chairman M. Baliah and Bhupal Reddy also spoke.

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