Congress high command attempts to placate ticket hopefuls in Mahabubnagar

Ahead of the Congress party announcing its candidates for the ensuing elections, rumours are abound that a rebellion is brewing from the party’s cadre from the grass-roots level.
A boy sorts Congress party flags, at Nampally, Hyderabad| Vinay Madapu
A boy sorts Congress party flags, at Nampally, Hyderabad| Vinay Madapu

MAHABUBNAGAR: Ahead of the Congress party announcing its candidates for the ensuing elections, rumours are bound that a rebellion is brewing from the party’s cadre from the grass-roots level. If sources are to be believed, Congress is already in a rush to placate the party’s ticket hopefuls in the district. As part of the endeavour, the party high command has summoned senior party leaders including DK Aruna and a few others to Delhi, reportedly to hold discussions on the issue. The discussion is likely to be regarding the 15 Assembly seats of the district, each with numerous aspirants from all parties of the alliance, including Congress.

Senior Congress leaders Obaidullah Kotwal and Manemma were known to have been expecting tickets from the Mahbubnagar and  Nagarkurnool seats respectively. The two leaders had also met with the AICC Screening Committee chairman Bhakta Charan Das. However, Das reportedly asked them to sacrifice their seats this time and instead work towards the victory of the party in the upcoming elections. They were also said to have been promised that they would be made MLC or the post of corporation chairman, both nominated posts in the State. At the same time, Manemma is still hopeful of gaining the ticket.

The leader told Express that she had already met the high command leaders and urged them to allot the Nagarkurnool ticket to her. “I have asked them to field me with the other sitting woman MLA from Gadwal (D K Aruna). Nagarkurnool has as many as 1.9 lakh people from the Golla-Kuruma community and around 45,000 people from other communities. They would ensure my victory in the elections, she said. Meanwhile, TDP leader Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy told Express, “We met Chandrababu Naidu to finalise the allocation of the seats.”

Tense at prospect of being denied tickets

Khammam: As the Congress finally gets ready to announce its candidate list, it seems that all is not hunky-dory among the district’s cadre. If sources are to be believed, most leaders and aspirants of the party are tense at the prospect of losing their tickets to members of other parties in the ‘Mahakutami’. There is no question that the competition within the alliance members for tickets from erstwhile Khammam district’s 10 Assembly constituencies is tight. Rumours claim that at least 5 to 10 aspirants are in competition for each Assembly seat. The Congress aspirants and their followers in the constituencies of Sathupalli, Wyra, Kothagudem, Ashwaraopet and Khammam are said to be preparing for a protest to demand tickets for themselves.

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