Tickets to BCs: Congress walks a tightrope
Party in a bind over social justice vs winnability
Published: 24th September 2023 09:31 AM | Last Updated: 24th September 2023 09:31 AM | A+A A-
TPCC office- Gandhi Bhavan. For representational purpose
HYDERABAD: As the Assembly elections draw closer, Telangana Congress faces the intricate task of balancing social justice — tickets to BCs in particular — and the winnability of the aspirants.
While the Congress has already announced that it will give tickets to “at least” two BCs in every Lok Sabha constituency, sources in the party say that there was no possibility of giving tickets to leaders from the community in several Lok Sabha segments.
In the erstwhile Khammam district, there are just three open category seats. The party understandably has considered the candidature of Reddy and Kamma “parachute” leaders in two out of three segments.
The situation is more or less similar in Nalgonda district. It is learnt that aspirants from the dominant Reddy and Velama communities were given priority during the recent screening committee discussions held in Delhi.
Notably, senior BC leaders who have previously represented legislative bodies at both the State and national levels found their candidatures disregarded during the heated discussions of the screening committee. If sources are to be believed, the expected number of BC leaders will not figure in the first list which is expected to be released by October first week.
To do a balancing act, the Congress is contemplating allocating tickets to BC candidates in Hyderabad, where the party’s electoral influence is admittedly weaker. In Hyderabad, there are indications that Congress might earmark five seats for BC candidates.
A senior leader said that the party certainly couldn’t find 34 seats for BCs. He, however, said that the party could possibly give more seats than the BRS which has already announced 24 seats to BCs.
