Congress LS list likely to be delayed by another day

March 20, 2024 10:06 pm | Updated 10:06 pm IST - HYDERABAD

The Congress party’s list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections for all States, including Telangana, is likely to be delayed by a day or two.

The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party, which met in New Delhi on Tuesday, scrutinised the names of probable candidates and is understood to have cleared five for Telangana. The deliberations went on late into the night and there was expectation of the party announcing the list by Wednesday night.

Another meet today?

However, indications from the Central leadership and State Congress leaders suggested that another round of CEC meeting is scheduled on Thursday. The AICC leadership is likely to announced a large number of candidates from various states at one go. This could be the reason for the delay in announcing the finalised names, sources said.

From Telangana, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy had attended the CEC meeting and discussed the list of probables from Telangana.

Sources said names of candidates – G. Ranjith Reddy (Chevella), (Patnam Sunitha Mahender Reddy (Malkajgiri), Danam Nagender (Secunderabad), Mallu Ravi (Nagarkurnool) and Gaddam Vamshi Krishna (Peddpalli) had been cleared but an official announcement is awaited.

The promise made by the Congress leadership to former MLA Praveen Reddy that he would be considered for Karimnagar ticket in the aftermath of Ponnam Prabhakar bagging the Husnabad Assembly ticket in the recent elections is likely to be considered strongly, party sources said.

Novice

Sources also said that the party narrowed the choice for Adilabad ST seat by hinting at picking up a political novice and a tribal practising doctor Sumalatha from the Adivasi community. She is presently working in RIMS, Adilabad, and is likely to join the Congress shortly after resigning her government job.

The party is also caught between giving the ticket to senior Congress leader Sambaiah or BRS MP Pasanuri Dayakar, who joined the Congress last week for the Warangal SC seat.

While the leadership is favouring Neelam Madhu for the Medak Lok Sabha seat, TPCC working president Jagga Reddy is demanding the seat for his wife Manjula Reddy.

In Nizamabad, the search is for a strong candidate while MLC T. Jeevan Reddy’s name is doing the rounds, fresh names of a Nizamabad based woman doctor and TPCC working president and MLC Bomma Mahesh Kumar Goud also cropped up leading to confusion.

Strong lobbying for top Congress leaders Mr. Vikramarka, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy is delaying finalisation of candidates for Khammam and Bhuvanagiri respectively.

The Deputy CM is determined to get the ticket for his wife Mallu Nandini even as Mr. Srinivas Reddy is lobbying hard to see that his brother Prasad Reddy is the party nominee from Khammam.

In Bhongir, the race is between Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy’s wife Lakshmi, TPCC vice-president Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, a close aide of Chief Minister and former BRS MLA Pyla Shekhar Reddy, if he decides to cross over to the Congress. Party sources said that the next list for Telangana could come out on Thursday night or latest by Friday.