HYDERABAD: Congress leadership, after hectic parleys with their rebellious leaders, were finally able to convince them into withdrawing their nominations. Multiple leaders of the party, angry with their stronghold constituencies being allotted to other Grand Alliance parties, filed their papers as Independents.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, AICC sent its heavyweights, treasurer Ahmed Patel, AICC spokesperson Jaipal Reddy, Members of Parliament Jairam Ramesh and Veerappa Moily, to convince these rebels to pledge their allegiance to the Grand Alliance.
Medchal’s Thothatur Jagayya withdrew his nomination to enable that he was no competition for Kuna Srisailam Goud. Congress leadership has assured Jagayya that he would get a prominent role once the Grand Alliance forms the government.
Even Sanathnagar’s Marri Shashidhar Reddy, a senior leader in the State, said he would extend his support to the TDP candidate there. “I am not going to contest as a rebel or as an Independent, I have told this to the party’s senior leaders already,” he said. However, he claimed that no senior leader spoke to him to pacify him and that his decision to stay put was taken on his own volition. Reddy had recently held a press meet where he accused TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy of robbing him of his ticket’. His rebellion has TPCC quite a few anxious moments.
Meanwhile, Ibrahimpatnam’s Malreddy Ranga Reddy has been announced as the Congress candidate at the last minute after he threatened to fight as an Independent. Karthik Reddy of Rajendra Nagar constituency is also expected to aid the Grand Alliance candidate who was chosen over him. Bikshapathi Yadav from Serilingampally will also be supporting TDP’s Bhavya Anand Prasad. Sources claim the most of the rebels were promised plum posts in the potential Grand Alliance government. Some have also been promised a seat on the Legislative Council.
