Following the rejection of CPI(M)’s candidate for Telangana's Huzurnagar bye-poll, the party has suspended candidate Parepally Shekar Rao from the party.
The decision came from the party's state executive committee a week after the Returning Officer (RO) rejected the nomination on technical grounds. Officials claimed that the nomination lacked the required documents.
Huzurnagar Assembly constituency will see bye-polls on October 21. As many as 119 sets nominations were filed by 76 candidates, of which the nominations of 45 candidates were rejected for various reasons. As things currently stand, there are 28 candidates in the fray.
Speaking to TNM, Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary Tammmineni Veerabhadram, said, “It has been found that Parepally Shekar Rao failed to fulfil his responsibilities as a candidate, despite the written notice from the RO concerned for the submission of documents within the stipulated time. The district committee, too, felt that he acted inefficiently. The state committee has decided to suspend him for one year."
Veerabhadram also said that the CPI(M) cadre and leaders would now support and campaign for Telangana Praja Party candidate Sambasiva Goud.
According to sources, the party was also approached by the TRS, TDP and Congress for support. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (CPI) has decided to support the TRS.
Veerabhadram urged the CPI to rethink its decision to support the TRS in the upcoming election, "especially at a time when the KCR government is taking feudal measures like deciding to dismiss 48,000 RTC employees,” he said.
Huzurnagar is witnessing bye-polls as state Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy resigned as the MLA after he won an MP seat from Nalgonda constituency in the 2019 general elections.
Uttam Kumar Reddy's wife Padmavathi Reddy is the Congress candidate from Huzurnagar, while ruling TRS fielded Saidi Reddy.
Saidi Reddy had lost to Uttam Kumar Reddy by a margin of 7,466 votes in 2018. The BJP and TDP are also in the fray.