Infighting in Congress reaches crescendo, confusion prevails in 60 seats, Revanth calls for patience

HYDERABAD: Telangana Congress seems to have been caught in utter disarray with many of its leaders squabbling for MLA tickets. The internal dissensions seem to have attained a feverish pitch with the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee election committee and screening committee unable to arrive at a conclusion on most seats.

The Congress will have to finalise candidates for 115 Assembly seats as it has promised two seats each to the CPI and CPM in the upcoming elections.

The infighting in the Congress Telangana unit for nominations in over 60 seats has led to gridlock, forcing the TPCC president A Revanth Reddy to call for patience till the central committee takes a pragmatic decision.

Even as the ruling BRS party announced 115 nominations much ahead of the declaration of the election schedule and embarked on the election campaign, Congress was not able to come up with the first list to give a head start to its candidates.

The candidates and their supporters who were making multiple rounds to different points of power in TPCC still hoped for a miracle, while elections were inching close day by day. With at least four to five candidates vying for the same seat, the TPCC, instead of concentrating on other election-related issues was grappling with sorting out the hurt feelings of the Congress candidates.

For instance, Revanth disclosed that Malkajgiri MLA Mynampally Hanumantha Rao and his son Rohith Rao, who quit the BRS recently and joined, the Congress would be allocated tickets for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Both Mynampally and his son have been gunning for Malkajgiri and Medak seats from the BRS respectively.

However, Revanth's decision could backfire as many leaders in the grand old party who have been asking for two tickets per family were reportedly turned down and are now rumbling at this latest decision.

Several prominent leaders from the Telangana Congress have requested two party tickets each for the upcoming elections. Among them is Nalgonda MP Uttam Kumar Reddy, who has sought nominations for both himself and his wife N Padmavathi Reddy.

Former minister Jana Reddy has made requests for his two sons, while Mulugu MLA D Seethakka and her son Surya have also asked for dual nominations. Additional leaders who have made similar requests include former minister Konda Surekha and her husband Konda Murali, former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav and his two sons, former union minister Balaram Naik for both himself and his son, former MLA P Vishnuvardhan Reddy and his sister Vijaya Reddy, as well as senior leader R Ramya Rao and her son Ritesh Rao, among others.

A few of these leaders are now waiting for the official word and could spell trouble for the party if Mynampally and his son are officially allocated tickets while kin of others are denied so despite working for the party.

On Tuesday, a bunch of supporters of Nagam Janarthan Reddy almost gheraoed Revanth Reddy at Gandhi Bhavan. Demanding the Nagarkurnool seat for the former Minister, they obstructed the way of the TPCC president.

Addressing media after the TPCC political committee meeting at Gandhi Bhavan on Tuesday, Revanth Reddy urged everyone for patience and made it clear that the party had not decided on the poll truck with any political party. “The lists that are circulating in different media are only a figment of their imagination. When we finalise the lists we will declare them,” he said. He said that the party would select efficient candidates only after deliberations and thorough scrutiny.

Revanth Reddy also said that a committee was formed under AICC general secretary KC Venugopal to see that all party senior leaders were given credence based on their position in the party. “Party seniors Manikrao Thakre, Deepadas Munshi, Meenakshi Natarajan and K Jana Reddy will be available round the clock to troubleshoot,” he said.

He said that the PAC also discussed certain officials working in favour of the ruling BRS Government and said a committee looking into such allegations would make a list of the officials and submit it to the Election Commission of India. He said a decision on the proposed bus yatra would be taken soon as the PAC had two options before it.