Congress To Field Vivek In Warangal LS ByPoll?

Rumors are doing the rounds in the Congress circles that the Congress Party high command may field former MP G Vivek in the Warangal Lok Sabha by-election as its candidate.

It is learnt that AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh went to Vivek's residence on Tuesday primarily to sound him out in this regard. Before going to Vivek's residence, Singh also paid floral tributes at the statue of Vivek's father G Venkata Swamy erected at Ambedkar Park at Tank Bund.

Apparently, most of the Congress leaders have suggested Vivek's name for the election because they felt nobody else would be able to compete with the ruling party in all aspects. The TRS also seems to be aware of this - there are rumours that the ruling TRS installed Vivek's father's statue hurriedly to entice the latter to join the TRS.

According to political analysts, Vivek is in two minds in this regard - on whether to join the TRS or remain in the Congress. He is reportedly weighing the pros and cons - wondering which party will win the by-election.

It is in this backdrop that the Congress' actions should be viewed - the Party is moving speedily to ensure that Vivek does not to shift his loyalties to the TRS. And it is as part of that that Singh went to Vivek's residence. He discussed with the latter not only the Warangal by-election but also some other issues.

It is a well-known fact that the Warangal Lok Sabha by-election is prestigious to the ruling Party - the seat was its before then MP Kadiam Srihari resigned after being elected as an MLC, a requirement to be part of the State Cabinet. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had removed T Rajaiah from the Deputy Chief Minister's post and inducted Srihari into the same position in the first ever reshuffle of his Cabinet a few months back.