Will senior IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar be made the TRS candidate from Huzurabad? This is the question uppermost in the minds of political pundits soon after the news of his resignation from the civil services became public. Praveen Kumar, though controversial for his anti-Hindu pledge and autocratic in his demeanor, is hugely popular among the dalit communities.

Highly placed reports say that he is likely to be made the CEO of the ambitious Dalit Bandhu scheme that the TRS chief and CM KCR is launching ahead of the Huzurabad byelections. The scheme is being launched from Huzurabad itself. He would be given the responsibility of running the scheme, sources say.

At the same time, there are rumours that he would be made the candidate from the Huzurabad constituency. The TRS feels that he would be the best candidate to take on Eatala Rajender. Praveen Kumar has great credibility as an honest official and his anti-Naxal activities have endeared him to large sections of the society. He would also be able to leverage on the Dalit Bandhu scheme and give a tough fight to Eatala.

RS Praveen Kumar’s close relative Metuku Anand is a senior TRS leader and is an MLA from Vikarabad. For the last two days, Metuku Anand is said to have met KCR at least twice and discusses several issues. The name of Pravee Kumar may have come up during the discussion, sources say. Praveen could be made a member of the TRS and then be given the Huzurabad ticket, the sources say.

However, some persons known to be close to RS Praveen Kumar, say that he might work to resurrect Bahujan Samaj Party in Telangana. He is a well-known Dalit activist and is known to have links with Dalit activists like Jignesh Mevani of Gujarat. His moves would become public in a couple of days, say sources.