# Ex-aide unveils statue, widening rift in Mancherial Congress 2026-08-21T02:54:47+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Manthena Jaganmohan Rao, formerly a close aide of Mancherial Congress MLA K Premsagar Rao, unveiled a statue of former minister Gaddam Venkataswamy at the Mancherial railway station on Thursday. The event has deepened the reported rift between Jaganmohan Rao and Premsagar Rao. Jaganmohan Rao had parted ways with the MLA months ago and has since aligned with Labour Minister G Vivek, who is reportedly at odds with Premsagar Rao. Jaganmohan Rao and former municipal chairperson Uppalaiah unveiled the statue and performed a milk cleansing ritual. Security was increased near Jaganmohan Rao’s residence. Neither Premsagar Rao nor Vivek have commented on the incident. Jaganmohan Rao is reported to have formed a faction against the MLA and may contest the Mancherial assembly seat in the next elections. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The statue unveiling by a former close aide is a traditional political signal in Telangana, where installing a leader's statue publicly asserts loyalty or claims a legacy. Jaganmohan Rao's reported faction against Premsagar Rao and his proximity to minister Vivek mirror the factionalism that often precedes elections in the state. The Mancherial seat is held by the Congress, which won it in the 2023 assembly elections. If Jaganmohan Rao contests as a rebel or on a different ticket, it could split the Congress vote. The next key signal will be whether either Premsagar Rao or Vivek break their silence ahead of the 2029 assembly polls. ## Coverage - telanganatoday.com Led with the political speculation and internal bickering as the main angle, not the statue ceremony itself. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: K Premsagar Rao, Mancherial, Manthena Jaganmohan Rao Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ex-aide-unveils-statue-widening-rift-in-mancherial-congress/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ex-aide-unveils-statue-widening-rift-in-mancherial-congress/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/