HYDERABAD: In what appears to be a calculated move to avoid any potential conflict ahead of Congress Working Committee (CWC) meetings scheduled to be held in Hyderabad, the Telangana Congress has deferred the process of shortlisting the candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. Screening committee chairman K Muralidharan informed TNIE that they will meet after the CWC sessions.
On Wednesday, screening committee members Baba Siddique, TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, AICC Telangana in-charge Manikrao Thakre, MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy and AICC secretaries Rohit Chaudury, Mansoor Ali Khan, and PC Vishnunadh, along with Muralidharan, met at a city hotel. During this meeting, they decided to hold another meeting of the screening committee after the CWC meetings.
As per the initial schedule, the screening committee was supposed to consult all the stakeholders, including Pradesh Election Committee (PEC), AICC secretaries, former ministers, and DCC presidents, over three days taking their opinions on the 1,006 ticket applicants. Although the screening committee held wide consultations over three days, it decided to hold another meeting after CWC meetings.
Muralidharan said that he had held one-on-one meetings with various party leaders. He said, “We are scrutinising all the 1,006 applications. We will be meeting again after the CWC meetings.”
Meanwhile, it is learnt that during the visit of Sonia Gandhi to Hyderabad on September 16 and 17, several leaders from the BRS and BJP are likely to join the Congress. These new entrants would also be considered for tickets, party sources said.
1,006 applications scrutinised
Congress Screening Committee chairman K Muralidharan said that he held one-on-one meetings with various leaders. “We are scrutinising all the 1,006 applications. We will be meeting again after CWC meetings,” he said.