Khammam (Telangana), Nov 8 (IANS): Election Commission of India officials and police were, on Wednesday, conducting searches at the house of former minister and Congress candidate from Khammam Assembly constituency, Tummala Nageswara Rao.

Two teams of the flying squads of the Election Commission and local police were searching the premises of the former minister in Khammam town to check if there was any violation of the model code of conduct.

Nageswara Rao was not at the house at the time of the searches.

Rao had resigned from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) recently to join the Congress party after he was denied ticket to contest the November 30 Assembly election.

The Congress party has fielded Nageswara Rao from Khammam, where transport minister P. Ajay Kumar is seeking re-election as BRS candidate.

A couple of hours before the searches, Congress candidate from Paleru in Khammam district, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy had stated that IT searches were likely against him, his family members, his supporters and other key Congress leaders in the district.

He had alleged that BJP and BRS had colluded to use the central agencies to conduct raids on Congress leaders.

He told media persons that these raids show that the Congress is winning the elections in Telangana.

Srinivasa Reddy, who is also co-chairman of Congress campaign committee, remarked that Congress leaders will have to face difficult times in the next few days.

The former MP asked the leaders not to worry over the raids.