HYDERABAD: A senior minister is reportedly pressing one of the MLC nominees to withdraw from the contest, once again bringing differences within the Telangana Congress to the fore.
According to highly placed sources, the minister has repeatedly asked the candidate to step aside, warning that it would be difficult to establish a political foothold in the districts without his support.
The candidate, however, does not appear ready to throw in the towel and has approached the state leadership and senior AICC leaders for their intervention. This has left the state leadership in a fix: How does it handle an accusation against a senior minister without ruffling feathers?
Even as preparations for the election continue, the candidate seems to be weighing a trip to Delhi to take up the matter directly with the Congress high command if the pressure persists. The question doing the rounds is whether the minister has a personal grouse against the candidate or is simply miffed that his opinion was not sought before the AICC finalised the name.
There was apparently an attempt to settle the matter. Sources said a meeting was held with the minister three days ago to discuss the minister’s objections to the candidature, and party leaders came away believing the issue had been resolved. Yet, the pressure on the candidate to withdraw is said to have intensified over the past two days. The minister is also accused of abusing the candidate, adding to concerns among the candidate’s supporters about what might happen next.
Mahesh rules out change of candidates
The developments have surprised some Congress leaders, who point out that the minister is an experienced hand with a good understanding of the state’s political landscape. Some had even expected him to be made in-charge of the Graduate MLC election. So, what explains the apparent change of course?
The timing could hardly be more inconvenient for the Congress. Sources say the high command has instructed the state leadership and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to win both the Mahbubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad and Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam Graduate MLC seats at any cost. The AICC announced its nominees around 10 days ago, well before the BRS and BJP finalised their choices, signalling the importance it attaches to the contests.
TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, in response, has brushed aside talk of a rift. He said there would be no change in either candidature and maintained that the Congress had a strong hold in both constituencies. Pointing to the party’s victories in more than 45 Assembly seats and six Lok Sabha constituencies across the two segments, he expressed confidence that it would win both seats. He added that any issues would be sorted out and that there was no serious dispute at present.
For now, the candidate is holding firm, leaving the leadership to work out its next move. Whether the matter is resolved quietly, takes a more public turn or eventually lands before the high command remains to be seen.
