In its first list, released on 15 October, the party fielded candidates for 55 seats. It is yet to announce candidates for 19 more seats.
Published Oct 27, 2023 | 11:38 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 27, 2023 | 11:38 PM
File photo of voters in Telangana. (Supplied)
Ending days of suspense and protracted deliberations, the Congress on Friday, 27 October, released its second list of candidates for 45 seats for the Telangana Assembly elections.
In its first list, released on 15 October, the party fielded candidates for 55 seats. It is yet to announce candidates for 19 seats.
The Telangana Assembly has a strength of 119, and the elections are slated for 30 November.
Former MLAs who made the cut were: Thummala Nageswara Rao (Khammam), Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy (Munugode), Konda Surekha (Warangal East), Revuri Prakash Reddy (Parkal), Yennnem Srinivas Reddy (Mahabubnagar), Kitchennagari Laxma Reddy (Maheswaram), and Malreddy Rangareddy (Ibrahimpatnam).
Former MPs who got tickets were: Madhu Yashki Goud (LB Nagar), Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy (Palair), and Ponnam Prabhakar (Husnabad).
तेलंगाना विधानसभा चुनाव, 2023 के लिए भारतीय राष्ट्रीय कांग्रेस द्वारा जारी उम्मीदवारों की सूची- pic.twitter.com/Y41MFHCeM2
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 27, 2023
The most striking feature of the second list is that it is not only Reddy-heavy but also has candidates who entered the party fold only recently. The party fielded 19 Reddys, living up to its reputation that it was a haven for them.
Former MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, who left the BJP and joined the Congress only on Thursday, found his name against Munugode in the list.
Other heavyweights who entered the party not very long ago — former Telangana minister Thummala Nageswara Rao and former MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy — were also accommodated in the second list, but it apparently was no easy task.
Ponguleti managed to get Palair, on which he had set eyes, but with Thummala Nageswara Rao and Communists both seeking the same seat, it took time for the Congress to untangle the knot. Finally, Nageswara Rao was cajoled to move to Khammam.
Though there is no indication what seats had been allotted to the CPI and the CPI(M) as part of the Congress-Left alliance, at least Palaiar is now out of their bounds.
Interestingly, the Kamareddy seat is missing from the list. There were reports that TPCC president A Revanth Reddy had been asked to contest from Kamareddy, the second seat from which Telangana Chief Minister and BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao is in the fray.
Former minister Md Shabbir Ali, who has been nursing the constituency, was initially a little upset with KCR moving to Kamareddy.
He, however, said later that he would contest from Kamareddy, KCR notwithstanding. But the party is considering him for Nizamabad Urban, where the Muslim population is quite significant.
As expected K Madan Mohan Reddy got a nod from Yellareddy, which is contiguous to Kamareddy.
At one stage, Shabbir Ali was asked to move to Yellareddy as KCR was in the fray in Kamareddy, but he did not like moving out of Kamareddy.
Ajmeera Shyam, the husband of BRS MLA Rekha Naik of Khanapur, got a ticket for Asifabad.
Former MP Ponnam Prabhakar managed to get a ticket for Husnabad, where he has been campaigning for quite some time now.
Against a lot of opposition, former MP Madhu Yashki Goud will be contesting from LB Nagar. Local leaders have warned that they would oppose him as he was an outsider in the constituency, and even put up bills on the walls of Gandhi Bhavan saying he was not welcome in LB Nagar.
Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin will be contesting from Jubilee Hills, while late Gadar’s daughter Vennela has been nominated to contest from Cantonment (SC).
Former MLA Yennem Srinivasa Reddy, who left the BJP and joined the Congress recently, got the ticket for Mahabubnagar.
The segments for which candidates have so far not been announced are Chennur, Jukkal, Banswada, Kamareddy, Nizamabad (Urban), Karimangar, Sircilla, Narayankhed, Paancheru, Charmina, Miryalauda, Suryapet, Tungaturti, Dornakal, Illendu, Wyra, Sattupalli, Kothagudem, and Ashwaraopet.
A political commentator said the second list appeared to have been the result of tremendous pressure on the party high command.
For several seats, candidates who do not have anything to do with them have been selected.
“For instance, what would Revuri Prakash Reddy do in Parkal? Or for that matter, K Lakshma Reddy has been chosen for Maheswharam though he has nothing to do with it. Rohin Reddy will be in the fray in Amberpet though no one has heard about him in the past,” he said.
He also disapproved of tickets being allotted to those who joined the party recently. “This sets a bad precedent and discourages loyalists,” he noted.
