HYDERABAD: Senior leaders of the Telangana Congress have expressed their displeasure with political strategist Sunil Kanugolu regarding survey reports related to candidate selection. These veterans have raised concerns about the survey results, particularly those pertaining to leaders who recently joined the party, some just 15 to 20 days ago, as well as those who joined several months back.
Questioning the survey ratings, which show some candidates getting scores as high as 68 and 70 within a short period, the veterans have demanded transparency regarding the methodology used and called for the full survey details to be shared.
One party veteran even raised questions about a particular leader who received a high rating in the survey despite not having joined the party until two days ago.
The veterans also expressed their incredulity at some leaders who joined the party in Delhi just two days ago applying for tickets and the party’s screening committee discussing their candidature in a recent meeting in the capital.
Sources said that veterans from various regions, including Mahbubnagar, Karimnagar, Rangareddy, Adilabad and Warangal districts, have raised objections to the survey reports, particularly over the fact that some senior leaders and former ministers did not receive favourable ratings.
Survey report undermining image of grand old party, fear veterans
A prominent leader, who is also a member of the AICC, expressed dissatisfaction with Kanugolu over phone, questioning how a certain candidate received a 70% rating instead of a former MLA with a strong community following. This veteran warned that if the survey results were used as the sole basis for ticket allocation, he would not contest the upcoming election.
Another member of the screening committee expressed disappointment and shock at the survey reports for Karimnagar, Maheswaram and Palakurthi. Notably, a candidate in the Karimnagar segment, who joined the party on the last day for submission of applications, received a 68% rating, raising questions about the methodology and transparency of the process. Senior leaders, including former ministers, have expressed suspicion about the survey reports, alleging that Kanugolu is undermining the party’s reputation by favouring a select few leaders.
A group of leaders is reportedly preparing to file a complaint against Kanugolu and TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy, accusing them of intentionally allocating tickets based on the survey results, which they view as a major setback for the party. They are also objecting to the inclusion of “parachute leaders”.
They are keen to revisit the party’s developments after the Karnataka Assembly victory and declarations made by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and AICC president Kharge. They argue that the party’s graph has improved since those developments, and they believe that Kanugolu is giving undue importance to parachute leaders while neglecting the party’s overall performance.
Meanwhile, BC leaders expressed their frustration during a recent meeting of OBC aspirants and have decided to bring the matter to the notice of Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, alleging that Sunil’s team is misleading the party, particularly in areas where BC leaders have significant potential.