Cong plans to finalise at least 50% candidates by June-end

HYDERABAD: Based on the surveys conducted by party’s election strategist Sunil Kanugolu’s team and by independent agencies, the Telangana Congress plans to finalise the names of candidates for about 60 of the total 119 constituencies by June-end.
However, the names of these candidates would not be made public, but internal messages would be sent to them to go all out in their constituencies. The 60 assembly constituencies are those where there is not much dispute over who should be the contesting candidate.
Already a couple of rounds of surveys have been completed and another couple of them would be done before June-end, especially to gauge the mood of the electorate after the Congress victory in Karnataka.
“By the end of June or mid-July, a clear picture will emerge about the electoral prospects of the top guns of the party from various constituencies. If the surveys reveal that a leader has to change his or her constituency because the odds are not in favour, in all likelihood the candidate will be made to shift to another constituency where his or her prospects are more favourable. This is what was done in Karnataka,” said a senior leader. The mood is upbeat among the party leaders and cadres in Telangana after the comprehensive victory in Karnataka. Keeping this in view, the party has decided to advance the election campaign here which is likely to be launched after the state formation day celebrations on June 2.
Advancement of election campaign, frequent visits of Nehru-Gandhi family members and chief ministers of Congress-governed states to Telangana for election campaign among other issues would be discussed by Telangana Congress leadership with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. The party high command has convened a meeting with PCC presidents of poll-bound states including Telangana before the end of this month.