Congress to announce new Telangana chief: Top leaders in the fray

After its debacle in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections, the Congress in Telangana is looking for a new guard. The party’s poor performance has not only dejected the cadres but also has compelled its state President Captain Uttam Kumar Reddy to resign from the post.

Following Uttam's resignation from the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Chief post, several big leaders mainly from the Reddy caste are eying the position. The appointment of a new PCC chief could very well decide the fortunes of the party in the 2023 Assembly Elections against the backdrop of a rising BJP in the state.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore had a series of  consultations and discussions with the party seniors about potential candidates to lead Congress in the state. According to highly placed sources, the top brass in the state are engaging with the high command in New Delhi in order to arrive at a decision.

So far, Malkajgiri MP Revanth Reddy and Bhongir MP Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, former Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu, V Hanmanth Rao (VH) and few others are in the fray for the post. It is said that a section of Congress leaders are seeking that the high command appoint a leader who has risen from the ranks of the party. A senior leader told TNM that the party should consider leaders who work for party interests instead of personal interests. 

While Revanth Reddy is known to be a pan Telangana face, another MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy is a known senior leader than the former. Speaking to TNM senior Congress leader V Hanmanth Rao (VH) said that the party high command will take a decision considering everything about the candidate’s contribution to the party. 

When asked about multiple names being in the reckoning, he said, "The media is asking if I will quit the party if one leader is given the PCC chief, why would I quit."  VH was hopeful that the party will make the right decision.

The tiff over the PCC Chief position appears to have got up with leaders heading to New Delhi, seeking an appointment with AICC President Sonia Gandhi. It is expected that the party may announce the appointment later in this month.

 However, it is also expected that there may be a significant number of Congress leaders who may join the BJP after the announcement of PCC Chief.

Gudur  Narayana Reddy, senior Congress leader who recently shifted his loyalties to BJP in a conversation with TNM said that there are several leaders who are waiting to join BJP.  Narayana Reddy said, "Congress's image has been blemished in Telangana. To counter KCR in the state, it requires BJP not Congress. Many MLAs have joined ruling TRS soon after winning, people too understood this."