As the Congress is likely to win four of the five MLA-quota seats because of its majority in the 119-member Assembly, the aspirants for the party tickets are moving earth and heaven for the party high command's munificence.
Published Jan 21, 2025 | 12:00 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 21, 2025 | 12:00 PM
Congress office bearers and workers resign in Dakshina Kannada
Anxiety levels are increasing with each passing day among Congress aspirants for the MLCs’ elections in Telangana which are likely to be held in February or March.
The elections will be to fill five seats in the Legislative Council from MLAs quota, two from teachers’ and one from graduates’ constituencies.
The parties’ strength in the 40-member Telangana Legislative Council is as follows: Congress: 13, TJS: one, BRS: 21, AIMIM: two, BJP: one, PRTU, and Independent: one each.
As the Congress is likely to win four of the five MLA-quota seats because of its majority in the 119-member Assembly, the aspirants for the party tickets are moving earth and heaven for the party high command’s munificence.
In fact, it was the BJP that set the tone for the MLC elections. Out of the blue, about 10 days ago, it announced its candidates, which came as a surprise since the Election Commission’s notification is not out yet.
The BJP’s move made the Congress wake up from its reverie that it could attend to the work when the appropriate time arrives.
The BJP’s nominees are Puli Sarottham Reddy for the teachers’ Constituency comprising Nalgonda, Warangal, and Khammam districts and Malka Komaraiah for the Teachers’ Constituency consisting of Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, and Medak. Industrialist C Anji Reddy will be the BJP’s candidate for the constituency comprising Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, and Medak.
Sarottham Reddy, hailing from Warangal, has over 30 years of experience as a school teacher and has been active in teachers’ associations. Malka Komaraiah, from Peddapally, is an educationist and the chairman of Pallavi Group of Institutions, with schools in Peddapally, Nirmal, and Hyderabad.
The BJP’s pre-emptive move is intended to win one teachers’ and the lone graduate seat, both of which are in north Telangana, where the party has found new strength.
Seven of the eight Assembly segments that the BJP won in the 2023 elections are in North Telangana, so the party hopes to win the two seats while giving its best shot at the other teachers’ constituency, which is in South Telangana.
As the BJP stole a march over the Congress in announcing its candidates, pressure is building up on the grand old party to finalise the selection.
The aspirants have been using different channels to reach the party high command, as the MLC elections provide a launchpad to get into Revanth Reddy’s Cabinet, in which six berths are vacant. Already, several Congress aspirants have begun lobbying for tickets for berths in the MLAs’ quota.
Many of those who lost in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are eyeing the tickets to test their luck once again. As Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is now in Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting, they are waiting for his return to make supplications to him to consider them for allotment of tickets.
Graduates’ constituency sitting MLC T Jeevan Reddy is among those retiring in March, and it is unclear if he wants to contest this time. Educationists are showing interest in the ticket for the graduates’ constituency.
They include DR V Narender Reddy of Alphores Educational Institutions, Educationist Ramana Reddy, retired deputy superintendent of police (DySP) M Gangadhar, and Congress leaders Velichala Rajender and A Praveen Reddy.
It is not clear who the party wants to field for the remaining two teachers’ constituencies. Its ally, CPI, might exert pressure for at least one of the two seats.
There is fierce competition for MLA quota seats. Among them are former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav, Congress leaders T Jayapraksh Reddy, R Damodar Reddy, Shabbir Ali, SA Sampath Kumar, Ch Vamshi Chand Reddy, Addanki Dayakar, and Gali Anil Kumar.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
