Published Feb 02, 2026 | 7:19 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 02, 2026 | 7:19 PM
Congress.
Synopsis: The ruling Congress in Telangana is scrambling to rein in a surge of rebel candidates ahead of the 11 February municipal elections to prevent a split in its vote that could hand its electoral edge to rivals, the BRS and the BJP. Nearly one-third of all nominations were filed by Congress aspirants, many of them denied tickets, forcing the party to ensure that only one official candidate remains in each ward before the 3 February withdrawal deadline.
With just a day to go before the 3 February deadline for withdrawal of nominations for the upcoming municipal elections in Telangana, the ruling Congress has found itself firefighting internal dissidence on a scale even senior leaders admit they did not expect, given its edge in cadre strength over the opposition BRS and the BJP.
A surge of disgruntled aspirants denied tickets for the 11 February contest have entered the fray as rebel candidates. This threatens to split the party’s vote across the seven municipal corporations and 116 municipalities where polls will be held. In a contest where the party is seen to have an edge, this dissidence could give rivals crucial openings.
In a nearly two-hour virtual review meeting chaired recently by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy from the US and attended by AICC leaders, TPCC president BMahesh Kumar Goud, ministers and district in-charges, he described the 11 February polls as “prestigious” and crucial to testing the party’s organisational strength, as elections will be held on party symbols.
The chief minister has directed senior ministers, MPs, MLAs and party functionaries to personally engage with the rebels and ensure that only one official Congress candidate remains in each ward or division.
Official figures show the scale of the problem. Of the 29,694 nominations filed for 2,996 wards across 116 municipalities and seven municipal corporations, as many as 10,024—roughly one-third—were from Congress aspirants. In other words, this works out to an average of more than three candidates per ward chasing the Congress vote.
The chief minister warned that rebels must be persuaded to withdraw through dialogue and individual outreach, and said indiscipline would not be tolerated.
He pointed to the recent gram panchayat elections, where Congress-backed candidates lost nearly 2,000 sarpanch posts because rebels stayed in the fray, even though the polls were officially non-party based.
In some areas, leaders are said to have raised expectations by giving assurances to multiple candidates. This fuelled resentment when only one nomination was finalised.
The short three-day gap between the announcement of the election schedule and the close of nominations on 30 January further limited consultations. This, in turn, led many aspirants to file papers independently.
To rein in the dissidence, the Congress has adopted a carrot-and-stick approach. The disciplinary committee has been asked to consider immediate action, including suspension or expulsion, against those defying party directives.
Senior leader Mallu Ravi has been tasked with monitoring rebel activity statewide, while DCC presidents have been directed to prepare mandal-wise lists of dissidents and begin talks at once.
Ministers overseeing specific Lok Sabha constituencies have also been assigned the task of “subduing” rebels. Senior Minister NUttam Kumar Reddy, in charge of urban local bodies under the Nizamabad parliamentary seat, has urged leaders to back official candidates. He has also assured that loyalists who withdraw will be accommodated with nominated posts, chairperson positions or other roles.
In some places, party sources acknowledge that financial settlements are also being explored to facilitate withdrawals.
In Mahabubnagar Municipal Corporation, 328 Congress candidates have filed nominations for 60 divisions, meaning 268 will need to withdraw.
The town holds symbolic importance for Revanth Reddy, and local leaders are believed to have entered the race mainly to assert bargaining power. Karimnagar Corporation has seen 308 Congress candidates for 66 divisions, amid stiff competition from the BRS and BJP.
As a tactical move, the party has withheld issuing B-forms until the last day for withdrawals on 3 February. Screening committees have been instructed to finalise candidates based on winnability, loyalty and social balance.
Revanth Reddy has set an ambitious target of winning 90 percent of the seats and warned against announcing chairperson or mayor candidates prematurely.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
