HYDERABAD: After the Congress high command replaced Kamal Nath with Jitu Patwari as Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president, speculation is rife over a similar change of guard in Telangana unit of the grand old party. What fuelled this speculation is the pattern of the party changing its state leadership after Assembly elections.
Post the recent electoral triumph in Telangana, incumbent PCC chief A Revanth Reddy has been elevated as the chief minister. This “necessitated” a change in the leadership of state Congress. It may be mentioned here that the chief minister, due to his busy schedule, couldn’t attend a recent meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s top decision-making body. For the same reason, he is unable to visit the party office as regularly as he used before the elections.
Merits, demerits of candidates
The Congress high command, meanwhile, is said to be weighing the ramifications of a leadership change before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. It is learnt that the party is carefully examining the merits and demerits of appointing a candidate who unsuccessfully contested in the recent Assembly polls as several aspirants are vying for the coveted post.
Among the top leaders who contested unsuccessfully in the Assembly polls but aspiring for the post are TPCC campaign committee chairman Madhu Yaskhi Goud, TPCC working president T Jayaprakash Reddy and AICC secretary SA Sampath.
BC leaders’ contention
Similarly, leaders from the Backward Classes (BC) are also actively lobbying for the post. They contend that as an upper caste leader has been picked for the CM post and SC leaders as deputy chief minister and Assembly Speaker, the BC leaders should be given importance within the party hierarchy.
Within the BC leadership, ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Konda Surekha as well as TPCC working president Mahesh Kumar Goud are currently competing for the most sought after TPCC post. The ongoing internal discussions underscore the strategic importance the Congress places on selecting a leader capable of connecting with the people at grassroots as they navigate the complex terrain in the lead up to the crucial LS polls.
While some of Congress leaders expect the announcement to be made in the next seven to 10 days, others see leadership change taking place only after the Lok Sabha elections. However, it remains to be seen whether the party high command is inclined to replace the incumbent TPCC chief who led the party to victory in the Assembly elections.
In the race