Rivals lobby for Congress ticket as Mohammed Azharuddin booked in Hyderabad Cricket Association case

HYDERABAD: Former Congress MP and ex-captain of Indian cricket team Mohammed Azharuddin is facing stiff competition from two other contenders for the Jubilee Hills constituency in Hyderabad for the upcoming assembly polls.

While Azharuddin is still the frontrunner, former MLA from Jubilee Hills P Vishnuvardhan Reddy and Youth Congress's Telangana vice-president Aamer Javeed have intensified their lobbying in Delhi. This comes after Azharuddin was booked in a criminal case for allegedly misappropriating Rs 3.8 crore from Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).

Vishnuvardhan is the son of former Congress Legislature Party leader P Janardhan Reddy (popularly known as Late PJR) and had won the Jubilee Hills seat in 2009. He, however, lost it to BRS candidates in 2014 and 2018 elections. Vishnu's sister K Vijaya Reddy is in race for a ticket from Khairatabad. One of them is likely to get a party ticket.