HYDERABAD: Discussions around electoral alliances with the Left parties have brought a sense of unease to Congress aspirants and senior leaders who have been eyeing tickets. In the preliminary discussions between the Congress and Left parties, the latter are reportedly eyeing Husnabad, Bellampally, Kothagudem, Munugode, Palair, Miryalaguda, Bhadrachalam and Madhira segments. However, this poses a challenge for the Congress as the party has strong candidates in these segments, including incumbent MLAs in Bhadrachalam and Madhira.
Former MP Ponnam Prabhakar has begun groundwork in the Husnabad constituency, a segment he aims to contest from. Conversely, CPI State Secretary and former MLA Chada Venkat Reddy also has aspirations for the same seat. Notably, Venkat Reddy, who unsuccessfully contested in 2018, was elected as an MLA through a Congress alliance back in 2004.
In Munugode, Palvai Sravanti, who was fielded by the Congress in the recent byelection, has openly appealed to the party leadership to exclude the CPI from the alliance in her constituency. Simultaneously, a tug-of-war over the Munugode ticket has emerged between Sravanti and Ch Krishna Reddy.
CPI State Secretary Kunamneni Sambashiva Rao has his sights set on the Kothagudem constituency, a segment that is a stronghold of former MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. This has led to speculation that the Congress might lean towards allocating the Palair constituency to the Left leader.
In Bellampally, a Scheduled Caste (SC) reserved seat, former minister G Vinod is actively campaigning for the Congress ticket. Vinod, who previously won from this constituency and served as a minister in YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s Cabinet, is determined to secure his candidacy.
The CPM’s request for the Bhadrachalam constituency, currently held by the Congress, has added complexity to the allocation process. Meanwhile, Madhira is represented by CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka in the Assembly.
The situation in Miryalaguda, previously held by the CPM, has taken an interesting turn as the son of Congress senior leader K Jana Reddy expressed interest in contesting. Despite Jana Reddy’s decision not to run this time, his sons have applied for tickets for the Nagarjunasagar and Miryalaguda segments. However, the prospect of two tickets being granted to one family, neither of whom has contested before, seems unlikely.
Sources suggest that the CPM might secure the Miryalaguda ticket in the alliance, potentially paving the way for the Congress to extend an MLC seat to both CPI and CPM.
Congress leaders have urged the party’s high command to allocate seats based on the candidates’ individual potential, rather than solely relying on the alliance label. Amidst these internal discussions, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has advised leaders to navigate alliance negotiations, given that both Left parties are operating under the umbrella of the INDIA alliance.
As per sources, the Congress is contemplating offering Palair and Munugode to CPI, while Miryalaguda and another constituency might be allotted to CPM, alongside MLC seats for both parties.