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Pratap Reddy to contest from Nandyal

The Congress has fielded Rajya Sabha member G Pratap Reddy in Nandyal where former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao had contested the 1996 election.

Reddy had vacated the Nandyal seat in 1991 to facilitate Rao's entry to the Lok Sabha. Rao was not a member of either House when he became the prime minister, following then Congress president Rajiv Gandhi's assassination.

With this, the party has implemented Congress president Sitaram Kesri's diktat that Rao would be denied a party nomination for failing to protect the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya.

Former Andhra Pradesh chief ministers N Janardhana Reddy and N Bhaskar Rao figure among the 25 Congress nominees cleared by the party. Reddy will contest from Bapatla while Rao will contest from Khammam.

Former Andhra Pradesh Congress presidents K Rosaiah (Narasaraopet) and V Hanumantha Rao (Nalgonda) also figure in the list. Former Union minister P Shiva Shanker will be the party nominee from Tenali.

The two changes effected by the party were in Rajahmundry where T V Satyanarayana would contest in place of Chitturi Ravindra and M Srinivas Reddy in place of M Parvathamma from Ongole.

UNI

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