A tough task lies ahead for the Congress fighting to make an impression in the Dubbak bypoll, and more so for new All India Congress Committee (AICC) incharge Manickam Tagore, who was appointed recently.
Nothing much seems to be working in favour of the party in Dubbak as it is struggling to find the right candidate to give a decent fight. The party has lost senior leadership to the TRS before the last elections and has not found replacement despite the decent voter base. It lost its most notable face Cheruku Muthyam Reddy, who represented the constituency earlier, after the ruling party lured him into its fold a few days before the 2018 Assembly elections. Though he passed away, his son Srinivas Reddy continues his political legacy. Sources said an effort was made to bring him back to the Congress, offering him the ticket but in vain. “He preferred to continue in TRS with the hope to bag its nomination for the bypoll, or at least some political position later if denied the ticket now,” a senior leader revealed.
Siddipet District Congress Committee (DCC) chief T. Narsa Reddy, Padmini Reddy, wife of former Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajnarsimha and Komatireddy Narsimha Reddy, who contested in the 2018 elections are now being considered. None of these has expressed keenness so far on taking on the TRS in a bypoll that always favours the ruling party.
Not a write-off
The Congress vote bank isn’t worth writing off either. In the last elections, swept by the TRS, the Congress candidate polled over 26,000 votes and that too without putting much effort as he was the last minute arrangement after the party offered the seat to the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) in the poll alliance.
“We continue to have the base and can improve our position further to prepare ground for the 2023 elections,” a senior leader said, adding “But no one wants to spend money now.”
“The might of the ruling party, sympathy for Ramalinga Reddy’s family and Finance Minister, T. Harish Rao personally managing the poll campaign are too strong factors for a decent political fight now,” he says.
The party has convened several meetings so far and is holding another one on Sunday as well. But it may not announce the name soon as the election date is a month away.