HYDERABAD: Even as the State leadership of Congress is trying to reinvigorate the beleaguered grand old party by welcoming leaders from other parties, big trouble seems to be brewing at the constituency level with local leaders and the cadre vehemently opposing the new inductions.
As part of its revival plans as well as preparation for the next Assembly election, the Congress leadership has been focusing on attracting leaders from other parties. Recently, TPCC president A Revanth Reddy announced that more leaders from other parties will join the grand old party.
On Sunday too, TPCC star campaigner Komatireddy Venkat Reddy welcomed Vaddepalli Ravi back into the party. He was suspended from the party in 2018 after he contested the Thungathurthy Assembly constituency against the party’s decision, which resulted in the party’s official candidate Addanki Dhayakar’s defeat.
Dhayakar lost the election with a thin margin of 1,847 votes while Ravi secured 2,806 votes. The seat was won by G Kishore of TRS. The latest development has infuriated Dhayakar and he has already raised his concerns with the TPCC chief. On Friday, former MLA Thati Venkateshwarlu joined the party. However, the party district and constituency level leadership were vocal against the move.
Sunnam Nagamani, who has been actively working for the party in the constituency, was bewildered by the development and took up the matter with CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. Meanwhile, Vijaya Reddy, daughter of late P Janardhan Reddy who joined the party on Thursday, has high hopes of contesting from the Khairatabad constituency. But AICC spokesperson D Sravan, who unsuccessfully contested in the previous election, is also competing for the same seat.
Former Minister and BJP leader Boda Janardhan from Chennur constituency, BSP leader R Srinivas from Sirpur Kagajnagar and TRS Metpally ZPTC Radha Srinivas Reddy and some other leaders have joined the Congress party on Sunday.