DCC race

metro india news  I hyderabad

The Congress party, long dominant in the undivided Khammam district, now finds itself divided from within. Despite enjoying a strong base and loyal cadre, the party is battling internal rifts among its own ministers, turning unity into rivalry. Once unbeatable in elections, the Congress is now showing cracks in coordination and collective leadership.

In the first Assembly elections after Telangana’s formation, the Congress won nine out of ten seats in the district. The same performance repeated in the next election. In the most recent polls, Congress bagged eight seats, while CPI and BRS won one each. With this success, Khammam district stands out for having three ministers in the state cabinet — Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, and Revenue, Housing and Information Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. The district also has two MPs, Ramasahayam Raghurama Reddy and Renuka Chowdhury, giving it unprecedented political strength.

However, this power has not translated into cooperation. The three ministers are reportedly functioning independently, each running his own political camp. Party workers allege that the district Congress office in Sanjeeva Reddy Bhavan is being sidelined, as ministers operate from their personal camp offices. The absence of coordination among them has sparked discontent within the rank and file.

Ministers on separate paths

Hopes were high that the trio would work together for the district’s development. But according to party insiders, the gap between them has widened to an irreparable extent. Apart from the Sitarama Project, no major development work has taken off in the district. Opposition parties allege that the ministers are more focused on one-upmanship than on new projects. Activists complain that only select groups close to the ministers get attention, while traditional Congress workers are neglected. Even putting up common flex banners with all three ministers’ photos has reportedly become impossible.

DCC Chief race turns intense

The battle for the District Congress Committee (DCC) president’s post has intensified, adding to the internal heat. What started as a routine leadership appointment has now turned into a power struggle among factions led by the three ministers. Nearly half a dozen senior leaders are vying for the position, each backed by a different camp.

For Khammam district, Bhatti Vikramarka’s loyalists Nuthi Satyanarayana and Vemireddy Srinivas are reportedly being considered. The current DCC president, Puvvala Durga Prasad, also from Bhatti’s group, might be replaced by another of his followers.

In Bhadradri district, the contenders include Nagasitaramulu, Motkuri Dharmarao, Edavalli Krishna, Souri, Eluri Koteswara Rao, Nallapu Durga Prasad, and Chanda Santosh Kumar. With BRS district president Rega Kantha Rao belonging to a particular community, Congress leaders say Podem Veerayya might continue as DCC chief to maintain social balance.

If Bhatti’s camp retains the DCC post, sources say the Zilla Parishad chairperson’s position could go to Ponguleti’s faction, and the DCCB chairmanship to Tummala’s group — a formula being discussed as a possible truce within the district leadership.

Senior leaders left out

Meanwhile, several senior Congress leaders are expressing frustration over being denied nominated posts. Due to the ongoing factional fights among the ministers, key appointments remain pending. Party workers say that despite promises, the government has not yet formed temple boards for Bhadrachalam and 16 other shrines in the region.

Even important bodies like the Bhadradri Temple Trust, SUDA, and the Khammam Market Committee remain headless. Grassroots leaders, who claim to have worked tirelessly during the elections, feel sidelined. They are now demanding that the pending nominated posts be filled without further political bias.

As the Congress faces growing unrest in its strongest district, many feel that if the three ministers put aside their rivalries and work together, Bhadradri and Khammam could see unprecedented development. Whether this unity will happen or not remains to be seen.