HYDERABAD: The Congress is all set to announce its Telangana chief and Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy has emerged as the front-runner. Sources say the All India Congress Committee (AICC) may make the announcement within a week to 10 days. Party national president Sonia Gandhi met Komatireddy in New Delhi and appeared inclined to name him as the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, they say.
Komatireddy had earlier said he would work continuously to strengthen the Congress in Telangana. He told The New Indian Express that he planned to be accessible to people through padayatras and bus yatras, and expose the irregularities within the TRS government. Komatireddy has expressed confidence that more than 50 MLAs from the TRS would join the Congress soon after he takes over as TPCC chief.
Several other party leaders such as TPCC working president and Malkajgiri MP A Revanth Reddy, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, Manthani MLA D Sridhar Babu, MLC T Jeevan Reddy, MLA Jagga Reddy, and senior leaders Jana Reddy and V Hanumantha Rao were said to be in queue for the post. But Komatireddy found favour with the party high command. A four-time MLA, he served as a Minister in the united Andhra Pradesh government and has been with the Congress from the beginning of his political career.
Meanwhile, it is known that Revanth, who lobbied extensively for the post, missed his chance when Sonia Gandhi received reports of him being in touch with his earlier boss and TD supremo N Chandrababu Naidu. Senior leaders have not warmed up to Revanth either and he is still viewed as a party newcomer.
“How can Revanth expect to bag the post when he has no political standing and changed parties so many times? If he is given a chance as TPCC chief, he will fight for himself more than for the party,” a senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.