HYDERABAD: Several Congress leaders whose names were not in the first list of candidates released on Sunday are worried whether they would be among those lucky ones who would get tickets.
Even prominent leaders of the party who did not find their names in the first list are spending sleepless nights. Among senior leaders who are leaving no stone unturned to secure a party ticket are Congress working president Mahesh Kumar Goud, former MPs Ponnam Prabhakar and Madhu Yashki Goud, and former ministers Ali Shabbir and Damodhar Reddy.
They are said to have been left in shock after finding their names missing in the first list and are making every possible effort to secure tickets in the second list. There is discussion in hushed tones in the party circles over the missing name of candidate for the Kamareddy constituency though senior leader Ali Shabbir is the lone aspirant here.
For LB Nagar, although the candidature of Madhu Yaskhi Goud has been finalised, his name did not figure in the first list. According to sources, the party leadership wants to hold consultations with other aspirants who are opposing Madhu Yashki’s candidature before finalising the candidate.
Mahesh Kumar Goud who is seeking a Nizamabad Urban ticket also finds himself in a state of limbo. Former MP Ponnam Prabhakar is another senior leader who is worried as his name did not figure in the first list of candidates. He wants to contest from Husnabad constituency. Similarly, former Husnabad MLA A Praveen Reddy is also waiting with his fingers crossed.
Ex-MP Suresh Shetkar and another party leader Sanjeeva Reddy are in the race for the Narayankhed Assembly ticket, giving the Congress a hard choice between the two. Former Union minister Balaram Naik is keen on contesting from Mahabubabad Assembly constituency; so are Murali Naik and others, giving the Congress a headache. The party is likely to clear the name of one of them in the next list after reconciling the competing leaders in the next list.
The party leadership also has not finalised the candidate for the Suryapet constituency as former minister Ramreddy Damodhar Reddy and Patel Ramesh Reddy, a close associate of TPCC president Revanth Reddy, are vying for the ticket. While district leaders are backing the candidature of Damodhar Reddy, the TPCC chief is said to be lobbying for Ramesh Reddy. As a result, the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) is said to be weighing various options before finalising the candidature.
Though the candidature of former minister Thummala Nageswar Rao and former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy is more or less confirmed for Khammam and Palair respectively after their discussion with former AICC president Rahul Gandhi, their names were not on the first list.
The State leaders are expecting the CEC to include the names of the two in the next list. According to sources, the CEC is likely to meet on October 21 and finalise the candidates for the remaining seats as well as those of electoral partners CPM and CPI.