HYDERABAD: Even as the bypoll schedule of Huzurabad was announced by the Election Commission on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, Congress is yet to finalise its candidate. Following the visit by AICC in-charge, Manickam Tagore to Karimnagar on August 29, there has been no further progress on the matter.
Earlier, a few names were zeroed in on, including former Minister Konda Surekha’s, but given the fast-changing scenario and impact of TRS government’s Dalita Bandhu scheme on SC voters, she is said to have backtracked. The current DCC president, Kavvampally Satyanarayana, an SC who topped the list of candidates would not wish to bear the tag of losing candidate, as he eyes Manakondur (SC reserved) ticket from the Congress. He lost when he contested on a TDP ticket in 2018. Patti Krishna Reddy, party’s Kisan Cell district president is the other candidate. “There are scores of others who applied from the constituency, but none has the charisma or money power to face the TRS,” felt a local, who is observing the trends.
The meeting held on August 30, which was chaired by Tagore, a day after his Karimnagar visit sought broader consensus on candidate selection, with preference for a local. Interestingly, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, former Dy CM, Damodara Raja Narasimha and MLA D Sridhar Babu were asked to report on candidate selection by September 10. Krishna Reddy is the only aspirant, who earlier this month applied for candidature, apart from 18 others.
Leaders in Hyderabad say the Congress may take a call in a day or two on the candidate.
Rectify discrepancies
TPCC In a letter addressed to Chief Election Commissioner, Sushil Chandra, TPCC senior vice president, G Niranjan stated that the announcement comes without rectifying the irregularities committed during the FLC (First Level Checking) of EVMs and VVPATs held at Karimnagar intended for Huzurabad byelections. The TPCC has also sought a change in the Collector who will function as DEA.