HYDERABAD: After a lot of bickering and discussions over the shortlisting of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Telangana, the Congress on Sunday released its first list of contestants for 55 out of the 119 Assembly segments.
The list features key leaders, including TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy, Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, MPs N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and MLAs T Jayaprakash Reddy, Dansari Anasuya, Podem Veeraiah and Duddilla Sridhar Babu. Surprisingly, TPCC campaign committee chairman Madhu Yaskhi Goud, TPCC working president Mahesh Kumar Goud and former MP Ponnam Prabhakar are missing from this list.
Earlier, party’s Backward Class (BC) leaders had demanded at least 34 out of 119 seats with the slogan ‘Jitni Abadi, Utna Haq’. Senior leader Ponnala Lakshmaiah had recently quit the party alleging ‘injustice against the BCs’ by the Congress. In the first list, the grand old party has accommodated 12 BC candidates. Tickets have also been given to six women.
Nevertheless, the list has left several leaders discontented, resulting in protests at the Gandhi Bhavan, where some expressed their frustration by burning an effigy of the party State president and chanting the slogan “Revanth Hatao, Congress Bachao”.
Additionally, tickets for 17 seats have been given to Reddy community candidates, seven for Velama, two for Brahmins, 11 for Scheduled Castes (SC), two for Scheduled Tribes (ST), and three for Muslims. Several prominent leaders apart from incumbent MLAs and MPs have been given tickets for the constituencies they have previously represented.
Veteran leader K Jana Reddy has opted not to contest in the election, and his ticket has been awarded to his younger son. Additionally, there is anticipation regarding Jana Reddy’s elder son’s candidacy from the Miryalaguda segment, a detail yet to be disclosed. Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy and his wife N Padmavathi Reddy have secured tickets from the Huzurnagar and Kodad constituencies, respectively.
Out of the 55 names announced, as many as 11 leaders are recent additions to the party. Notable among the newcomers are MLA Mynampally Hanumantha Rao and his son Rohit Rao, Jupally Krishna Rao, Kota Neelima, Vemula Veeresham, Kasireddy Narayana Reddy, Prodduturi Vinay Kumar Reddy, Kolan Hanmanth Reddy, Sunil Kumar Muthyala, Saritha Thiruapathaiah and Kunchukulla Rajesh Reddy. However, some senior leaders, such as Nagam Janardhan Reddy, Marri Aditya Reddy, Mettu Sai Kumar and Ragidi Laxma Reddy, did not receive tickets.
Despite requests from the Left parties for the Bhadrachalam segment, the Congress has stood its ground, refusing to relinquish this current seat. Speaking to the media, Revanth said the Congress is ahead of the Bharata Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in announcing candidate lists, noting that the Congress has announced 55 seats, while the BRS has issued tickets for just 51.
Former Secunderabad MP Anjani Kumar Yadav is set to contest from the Musheerbad constituency. In the 2018 elections, his son, Anil Kumar Yadav, contested from Musheerbad but lost to BRS candidate Muta Gopal.It is expected that the Congress will release its second list of candidates within the next two to three days. This is because the party is expecting new entrants to join the party shortly and also to avoid conflict arising within its ranks.