Delhi/Hyderabad: The Central Election Committee of the All India Congress Committee, which recently announced candidates for 55 seats in the first list of candidates for the Telangana assembly elections, met in Delhi on Wednesday to release the 2nd list of candidates for the remaining 64 seats, sources said. The Congress's Central Election Committee on Oct 15 announced the first list of 55 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections.
The CEC's meeting on Wednesday was attended by former President Sonia Gandhi, CEC members Salman Khurshid, Screening Committee Chairman Muralidharan, Party Telangana Affairs Officer Mani Rao Thackeray, PCC President Revanth Reddy, CLP Leader Bhatti Vikramarka, MP Uttam Kumar Reddy and others.
The CEC meeting was chaired by AICC President Mallikarjuna Kharge. In Wednesday's meeting, it was learned that candidates for about 35 seats have been cleared, while deliberations are on for another 29 seats. Sources said that the meeting decided to discuss once again in depth what to do about the respective positions as the caste equation is not suitable for some of the candidates whose surveys are favorable and the surveys are not suitable for the candidates who are positive in terms of caste equation.
It was impressed that those leaders who did not get tickets in the constituencies that have been clarified should not stand as rebel candidates, and they should be assured that they will get good opportunities in the the party in the future. The meeting decided to hand over the responsibility of motivating such candidates to the party's National General Secretary (Organizational) KC Venugopal.
Sources said that Telangana PCC president Revanth Reddy, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, and MP Uttam Kumar Reddy met again at KC Venugopal's residence after eight o'clock on Wednesday night. Sources said that the CEC marathon meeting to finalize 2nd list of candidates for the Telangana assembly elections will continue on Thursday as well so that the selection of candidates can be completed as soon as possible.
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The list will be released on Thursday or Friday after the overall process is completed, sources said. According to reliable sources, six of the 12 ST reserved constituencies of the state will be allotted by the Congress to the tribals and six to the Lambadas. Party campaign committee co-convener Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy is insisting on giving the Yellandu constituency ticket to former MLA Koram Kanakaiah.
Sources said that an opinion was expressed in the CEC meeting that if the seat is allotted to Kanakaiah, the balance between the two groups of STs will be disturbed. Later it was decided in principle to allocate that constituency to the Lambadas. Sources informed that the tickets for Mahbubabad and Dornakal constituencies are almost finalized for Murali Naik and Ramachandra Naik.
It is known that former MP Balaram Naik, Nehru Naik, and others who are hoping for these positions will be called and assured about their future positions. In the case of Subhash Reddy and Madanmohan Rao in the Ellareddy constituency, the polls and the balance of social groups faced a problem, so the position was set aside for now.
There is said to be a contest between Rohin Reddy and PJR's daughter Vijaya Reddy for the Khairatabad seat in Hyderabad city. It is learned that the leadership has favored Vijaya Reddy with sources saying that Sonia Gandhi herself intervening in this matter. It is learnt that Shiv Sena Reddy, president of the State Youth Congress, is being pacified by calling him to Delhi as he is strongly demanding the Vanaparthi ticket.
Chinnareddy, chairman of the party's state disciplinary committee, is insisting on contesting from this constituency, sources said. In the wake of the decision to allow the Nizamabad urban ticket to a minority candidate, Mahesh Kumar Goud, who is vying for the seat, was called to KC Venugopal's house on Wednesday night and assured for a future position.
