HYDERABAD: With the last day for withdrawal of nominations looming, Congress leaders have embarked on a mission to appease disheartened party members to ensure the retraction of their nominations.
Speculations hinted at potential rebellion from approximately 30 leaders within the party, particularly in light of the decision to grant tickets to 30 newcomers. However, the party has successfully mitigated discontent by extending offers of either MP or MLC positions. Notably, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal has personally reached out to these disgruntled leaders via telephone recently.
On Tuesday, AICC Telangana in-charge, Manikrao Thakre, engaged in discussions with over 10 rebel leaders. Thakre reassured them by promising alternative posts following a victorious election outcome.
Among the leaders contacted were Patel Ramesh Reddy (Suryapet), A Sanjiv Reddy (Adilabad), Vennela Ashok (Boath), Janga Raghava Reddy (Warangal West), Vijaya Bhai (Wyra), Gali Anil Kumar (Narsapur), Dandem Ramreddy (Ibrahimpatnam), Nehru Naik (Dornakal), Sudhakar Goud (Palakurthi), Gangaram (Jukkal), Kasula Balaraju (Banswada), Umesh Rao (Sircilla), and others.
A senior Congress official disclosed that these leaders had filed nominations with the expectation of receiving a party ticket, anticipating eventual withdrawal. While some have already retracted their nominations as of Tuesday, the decision of the remaining candidates remains uncertain.Meanwhile, Ramesh Reddy has taken a defiant stance, declaring his intent to contest the election with the explicit goal of defeating the Congress candidate in Suryapet. He affirmed his commitment to rejoin the Congress fold following a triumphant electoral outcome.