HYDERABAD: Ahead of the municipal elections, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday directed his ministers and senior party leaders to take the upcoming polls seriously and avoid any complacency.
At a meeting held at the chief minister’s old parliament office in Jubilee Hills with ministers and party leaders, he asked them to leave nothing to chance in winning a maximum number of urban local bodies. PCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud also attended the meeting.
The chief minister shared survey reports related to the municipal elections and held discussions on the findings.
He specifically pointed out municipalities where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is focusing keenly and a tight fight is expected — including Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Adilabad, Medak, and Mahbubnagar — and urged ministers to work intensively in these areas.
Reach out to dissidents: CM
A senior Congress leader disclosed that the chief minister advised reaching out to dissident leaders who were denied party tickets. He suggested accommodating such leaders in nominated posts — such as director or member positions — provided they hold influence in their areas, and enlisting their support for the party during polls.
He also instructed the ministers to closely coordinate with MLAs, MLCs and contesting candidates in their respective municipal corporations to ensure the party secures a majority of seats, enabling it to win the mayor and chairperson posts.
However, he cautioned leaders against making any premature promises or assurances regarding these positions to their followers. The final decision, he said, would be based on political equations and future developments beneficial to the party.
The survey reports presented at the meeting are said to be favourable for the Congress. Revanth urged leaders to aggressively counter the BRS and BJP, highlighting their “failure to develop the state in the last 10 years,” while explaining how the Congress had worked for the people earlier and how the previous regimes had “destroyed institutions.”
The meeting also touched upon internal issues in certain constituencies, such as those between former MLC T Jeevan Reddy and Jagtial MLA Sanjay Kumar, and the situation in Gadwal involving Krishna Mohan Reddy and Saritha. The chief minister asked the PCC chief and ministers to engage with the leaders concerned and resolve these matters amicably.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and minister Adluri Laxman Kumar, however, were absent. Sources said Vikramarka was occupied with municipal election candidate B-form submissions and discussions with rebel candidates until late evening, joining the meeting only after 10.30 pm.
Laxman Kumar, reportedly upset over an attack on his convoy in Medaram, which he felt was not addressed adequately by party leaders, did not attend. The chief minister called him for a separate meeting on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Revanth asked the PCC chief not to tolerate rebel candidates contesting against official party nominees, as they could dent the party’s winning prospects and to take strict disciplinary action against such leaders.
Earlier, ministers and leaders congratulated him on completing a leadership course at Harvard University and on the success of his recent visit to Davos, where the state government signed several investment MoUs during the World Economic Forum summit.
CM Campaign FROM TODAY
The chief minister will kick-start his campaign at Miryalaguda on Wednesday. He will lay the foundation stone for a Young India Integrated Residential School and later address a public meeting.