HYDERABAD: The ruling Congress is likely to give one of the four Legislative Council seats under the MLAs quota that will fall vacant in the near future to CPI, its alliance partner.
In the run-up to the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress forged an alliance with CPI by offering one Assembly and two Council seats. The Congress emerged victorious in the election, while the CPI won the lone MLA seat allotted to it. However, the Congress could not give the two promised Council seats owing to its organisational obligations. With five seats falling vacant now, the CPI is bent upon getting at least one.
On Monday, CPI state secretary and Kothagudem MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao called on TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud at Gandhi Bhavan requesting Congress to honour the promise of two Council seats to his party.
“The last time the two seats were notified, we were told that we will be given the opportunity next time. Now, we are again requesting the Congress to honour its promises in the spirit of camaraderie,” Sambasiva Rao told the media. He added that CPI general secretary D Raja had spoken to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi invoking the party’s commitment. He said that Rahul Gandhi had assured to speak to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to fulfil the promise.
When TNIE contacted TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud, he said that his party’s high command would decide on finalising the names and seat share. He said, “As the party promised, the high command would direct us to stand up to the commitment.”
However, in the wake of multiple aspirants within the ranks of Congress, it remains to be seen whether the Congress would fulfil its promise.