Telangana Congress hopes to repeat Assembly poll performance in LS elections
HYDERABAD: The Congress, which is in an upbeat mood after winning the Telangana Assembly elections, is looking at the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls with a new sense of confidence, hoping that it would repeat its performance.
All the three seats that the Congress bagged in the last Lok Sabha elections have fallen vacant now with incumbent MPs having won the election to the Assembly. They are A Revanth Reddy (Malkajgiri), N Uttam Kumar Reddy (Nalgonda) and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy (Bhongir). Now they will have to ensure that the Congress retains the three seats in the Lok Sabha elections and help the party pick up more number of seats of the total 17 segments in the state.
The grand old party is also focusing on Lok Sabha constituencies where it is weak. For instance, the party is very weak in Adilabad with no leader worth his salt to win the election. The seat is now held by BJP’s Soyam Bapu Rao, who contested unsuccessfully in the recent Assembly polls from Boath.
In Nizamabad too, the party is looking for a suitable leader, including Madhu Yaskhi Goud who lost the Assembly election from LB Nagar. He had represented Nizamabad in Lok Sabha in 2004–09 and 2009–2014. In 2014, he lost the election to Kalvakutla Kavitha, daughter of former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. In 2019, BJP’s Dharmapuri Arvind won the election from Nizamabad, defeating Kavitha with Madhu Yaskhi finishing a distant third.
Lack of potential leaders in Karimnagar segment
In Karimnagar, the party faces trouble due to lack of potential leaders. However, it is hopeful that there might be a difference this time with the party doing well in the Assembly elections in four of the seven Assembly segments in Karimnagar LS constituency. At present it is being represented by BJP’s Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who lost his election to the Assembly recently from Karimnagar to a BRS candidate. MLC T Jeevan Reddy is being tipped for the seat.
In Peddapalli, the Congress is considering A Chandrasekhar, who contested and lost the election to the Assembly from Zaheerabad constituency. The party has swept all seven Assembly segments in the Peddapalli Lok Sabha constituency in the recent Assembly elections.
Former Union Minister of State Balaram Naik is likely to contest from Mahabubabad Lok Sabha seat. He was elected from the same constituency in the past. For Khammam, former Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury would be the obvious choice. She is already preparing her cadre for the election.
The grand old party is planning to field Addanki Dayakar from Warangal. He might get the ticket because he is close to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. In Bhongir, party vice-president Chamala Kiran Reddy is likely to get the ticket because of his proximity to Rahul Gandhi and Revanth Reddy, and also State Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy.
From Nalgonda, Patel Ramesh Reddy, who was denied the ticket for the Suryapet Assembly seat twice, is likely to be fielded in the Lok Sabha elections. He is very close to the chief minister.
Feroz Khan or Ali Masqati in Owaisi’s stronghold
Youth Congress leader Anil Kumar Yadav might be fielded from the Secunderabad seat. His father was elected from the same constituency twice in the past. Anil also contested in the Assembly election from Musheerabad but lost the seat.
From Hyderabad Lok Sabha, the party might favour either Feroz Khan or Ali Bin Ibrahmim Masqati. But it is a stronghold of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. From Chevella, the obvious choice for the party is former MLA Kichenagari Laxma Reddy, who contested unsuccessfully from Maheswaram Assembly segment in the recent elections.
From Mahbubnagar, the party is likely to field former MLA and AICC secretary Dr Vamshi Chand Reddy, who contested in 2019 and lost. Party sources stated that he sacrificed his sitting segment for Kasireddy Narayan Reddy from Kalwakurthy, who was elected to the Assembly in the recent election.
For Nagarkurnool, the party might consider former MP Mallu Ravi but AICC secretary and former MLA SA Sampath Kumar is also interested in it. Mallu Ravi is close to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and is the brother of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
In Medak, the party might nominate former MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy. He recently lost his election to the Assembly from Sangareddy. For Zaheerabad Lok Sabha seat, former MP Suresh Shetkar is likely to be given the ticket. He was an aspirant for the Narayankhed Assembly ticket. Then there is Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency from where former MLA Mynampalli Hanumantha Rao might be fielded. He recently lost his election to the Assembly from Malkajgiri.