HYDERABAD: The ruling Congress is struggling in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits, where it has hardly any presence compared to its rivals
The party drew a blank in the Assembly elections in November last year. The only silver lining is that it won Cantonment byelection.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections too, the grand old party could not win even one seat in the GHMC limits. It even lost the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat previously held by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The Congress reportedly has not focused enough on improving its footprint, despite the GHMC elections scheduled next year.
Even after completing one year in office, the party could not achieve much success in luring BRS MLAS from GHMC limits to its fold. Though the party landed Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender and fielded him for Lok Sabha from Secunderabad, he lost as the BJP retained the seat.
The Congress nominated Youth Congress leader Anil Kumar Yadav to the Rajya Sabha, but it so far doesn’t seem to have made much difference to its prospects. The party could win over Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi and a few corporators from the BRS, including the deputy mayor, but that has not helped it shore up its position in the state capital.
What seems to be impeding the effort to strengthen the party in GHMC limits is the inclination of its leaders to lobby for posts more than paying attention to the work that lies ahead.
TPCC working president Anjan Kumar Yadav is eyeing a Cabinet berth as he is a Yadava, one of the dominant backward class communities. Minority leaders too are exerting pressure on the party to post them in important positions.
Rejuvenating the party in Hyderabad will be a challenge for the CM and TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud. Revanth hopes that the Musi Rejuvenation Project would do the trick, but it remains to be seen how the project pans out.