HYDERABAD: With elections to municipal corporations and municipalities approaching fast, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy hit the ground running soon after returning to Hyderabad from the United States on Monday.
Her held a virtual meeting with senior party leaders and made it clear that winning maximum number of urban local bodies was a top priority. He stressed that the party must spare no effort in securing victory in the forthcoming elections.
The meeting was attended by AICC state in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, members of the TPCC Elections Screening Committee and ministers.
The chief minister asked his Cabinet colleagues and key leaders to maintain a sharp focus on the elections and work with unity. He warned them against internal divisions since they would damage the party’s prospects and give an advantage to the opposition.
He said that surveys commissioned by the Congress indicated that the party was in a strong position. He told the ministers that it was now their responsibility to convert this favourable mood into electoral victory.
Each minister was asked to take charge of the Lok Sabha constituency assigned to him and ensure that the party emerged on top in all municipalities within its jurisdiction. He underlined the need for sustained field-level engagement and close monitoring of the campaign.
Leaders asked to persuade rebels against contesting polls
The chief minister laid special emphasis on preventing vote-splitting due to rebel candidates. He instructed leaders to personally meet rebels and persuade them to withdraw from the contest. He warned that rebels remaining in the fray could harm the party’s prospects.
At the same time he assured that those who withdrew and worked for the victory of official candidates would be accommodated later.
He reportedly told the leaders that the party would remember such cooperation while filling nominated. Revanth Reddy also directed ministers to ensure coordination between seniors and new leaders during the elections. He said groupism and rival camps should not be allowed to surface, as such trends could weaken the party and become a weapon in the hands of rival parties.
Meanwhile, the PCC Elections Screening Committee accepted the reports submitted by the ministers on the finalisation of candidates. The committee unanimously approved the proposals and decided to issue B-Forms to the candidates late on Monday evening.
Senior leaders raise 42% BC reservation issue
Separately, senior leaders, including K Keshava Rao, V Hanumantha Rao and several Backward Class leaders, raised the issue of 42 per cent reservation. They urged the chief minister to exert pressure on the Centre for its implementation.
Revanth Reddy assured them that the Congress would fight the issue unitedly and mount pressure on the Centre to secure the enhanced reservation.
With the deadline for withdrawal of nominations falling on Tuesday, the chief minister is set to hold a key meeting on municipal elections. The meeting will be attended by ministers in charge of municipal polls, Meenakshi Natarajan, Mahesh Kumar Goud and other senior leaders at the chief minister’s office in Jubilee Hills.
The TPCC has asked all leaders to come prepared with detailed reports on the ground situation. The chief minister is also scheduled to address public meetings in districts from February 4 as part of the Congress campaign for the municipal elections.