HYDERABAD: It has been a year since MLC B Mahesh Kumar Goud was appointed president of the TPCC, yet no appointments have been made to various posts and wings of the party.
The prolonged delay has left aspirants frustrated, a situation that may not augur well for the ruling party ahead of local body elections.
The TPCC has no clarity on when these appointments will finally be made. The committees, considered critical to strengthening the party at the grassroots level, remain headless and dysfunctional.
The Congress high command too appears indifferent to filling key vacancies in the state unit, such as working presidents, the campaign committee and other crucial posts.
Adding to the discontent, leaders complain that AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan shows little interest in making these appointments, even as she remains keen on organising padayatras.
Party leaders argue that such exercises will yield little benefit if there is no organisational structure in place to consolidate the gains.
Pressure on senior leaders At the ground level, party workers are mounting pressure on MLAs, MLCs, MPs, and even those who unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly elections to push the leadership to expedite the appointments.
Interestingly, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and the TPCC chief have held several rounds of discussions on the matter, but so far nothing has come of them. Many leaders derisively describe the exercise as “all fizz and no pop.”
Aspirants, meanwhile, are increasingly disheartened, with their hopes of moving up the party ranks going awry. They feel the leadership is indifferent to their aspirations and question why they should continue spending from their own pockets on party programmes when their efforts are not being recognised.
Adding to the uncertainty, there is no clarity on when local body elections will be held — or whether they will be held at all. Even senior leaders, including MLAs and MLCs, admit they are clueless on this front.
Frustration within the ranks is now bubbling to the surface. Several MLAs are openly questioning why the party is delaying local body polls despite the fact that ground-level sentiment is turning hostile.
The scarcity of urea is further alienating farmers, with many questioning whether it is wise to continue supporting the Congress.
Party insiders warn that unless the leadership wakes up, the situation may soon spiral out of control.