HYDERABAD: AICC state in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, along with a few ministers, on Friday visited the residences of Anjan Kumar Yadav and CN Reddy, who were reportedly dejected over not getting the Congress ticket for the Jubilee Hills Assembly byelection, in an attempt to pacify them.
The ruling party had picked Naveen Yadav as its candidate to contest the bypoll.
Natarajan, along with ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and G Vivek Venkataswamy, visited the residences of former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav and corporator CN Reddy as well as another corporator Baba Fasiuddin, who too is believed to have lobbied for the ticket.
During their meetings with the three aspirants, the Congress leaders tried to pacify them and also sought their cooperation to ensure the party’s victory in the bypoll and the other upcoming elections.
Anjan Kumar, who was confident of getting the party’s nod to contest elections and was preparing to file his nomination, told mediapersons that he felt “deeply hurt” by the Congress’ decision.
“I have been with the Congress since my student days. I have served as the president of Hyderabad DCC twice. During the Covid crisis, I was on a ventilator but still worked for the party. I believed my loyalty would be recognised,” he lamented.
Natarajan, meanwhile, said that the Congress remains united and decisions were made collectively in the party’s best interest. She assured Anjan Kumar that he would soon be given a suitable position.
“The Congress decisions may sometimes cause pain to individuals, but they are made keeping the party’s collective interest in mind. Our goal is to strengthen the organisation and ensure Rahul Gandhi becomes prime minister,” she said.
Ponnam Prabhakar emphasised that Naveen Yadav was chosen as the party’s candidate for the Jubilee Hills bypoll after consulting all sections of the party.
“Anjan Kumar Yadav is a senior leader and a guiding force for Hyderabad Congress. We are moving forward under his leadership. The Jubilee Hills election will be fought under his supervision,” he said.
He also called on all local leaders to work together to ensure the victory of the Congress candidate by highlighting the government’s welfare and development programmes.