Telangana Congress is still hopeful that seniors would be in the fray for the Lok Sabha elections though many of them stayed away from submitting applications seeking tickets.
It was expected that senior leaders and those popular with the masses will opt for Lok Sabha polls but after the Congress invited applications from the hopefuls most of them stayed away. Except former minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, former MPs Ponnam Prabhakar and Madhu Yashki Goud and TPCC vice president Mallu Ravi many seniors who lost in the Assembly elections did not evince interest.
Sources said that some of them had made their intentions clear to the top leadership in New Delhi but did not apply to the local leadership for various reasons. AICC incharge for Telangana R.C. Khuntia, however, said that if the high command wants it will pick up candidates, including those who have not applied. “The main criterion is winnability and the Congress leadership is aware of the capabilities of several leaders, and if it wishes they may be asked to enter the fray,” he said.
Alliance partners
Meanwhile, the party has in principle decided to field candidates in all the 17 Lok Sabha seats and a recommendation was sent to the high command for its approval. In doing so the party is not ruling out the tie-up with its partners in the Assembly elections — Telangana Telugu Desam Party (TTDP), Kodandaram led Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) and Communist Party of India (CPI). However, it wants their support without offering any seats to them.
A senior leader argued that there are no winnable faces in those parties except one or two and Congress wants to contest in all the seats while seeking their support. “Parliament elections are key as it is time to remove the Narendra Modi -led BJP from power at the Centre,” he said hoping that alliance partners understand the dilemma party faces now.
Though T-TDP and TJS have not come out openly so far on their seriousness in contesting in Telangana, the CPI recently informed that it plans to field its candidate from Bhongir constituency without revealing whether they are part of the alliance or not. A section of the TJS wants Mr. Kodandaram to test the waters given his image among the people. He is in favour of the alliance though he has not sought any seat so far.
TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu has not so far commented on the alliance and has left it to the local leadership to take the final decision. Though Congress leaders say Mr. Naidu’s presence in Telangana had a ‘negative impact’ on the Congress’ chances in the Assembly elections admit that TTDP strength can be used positively in certain places like Khammam.