Rajender's nomination threw cold water on A Praveen Reddy's hopes of getting the party ticket in return for withdrawing from the Assembly race last year.
Velchala Rajender Rao, a Velama, is banking on the image of his father, the late Velchala Jagapati Rao. (X)
Ending days of suspense, Congress High Command on 24 April, finalised the names of its candidates for Karimnagar, Khammam, and Hyderabad constituencies. The party named Velchala Rajender Rao, a Velama, for Karimnagar against BJP national general secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy, son of former MP R Surender Reddy, from Khammam. Mohammad Waliullah Sameer is the Hyderabad candidate.