Cong makes moves to win 3 LS seats under GHMC limits

Hyderabad: The Congress which had not done so well in the GHMC limits during the recent Assembly elections is now making quick moves to regain the paradise it had lost.

Chief Minister and TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy is laying special focus on three Lok Sabha constituencies that fall in the GHMC limits -- Malkajgiri, Chevella and Secunderabad.

Revanth Reddy, who won from Malkajigiri in 2019 general elections, wants to ensure that the Congress retains the seat. The party is in the process of identifying a strong candidate to field from the constituency. Congress leader Mynampalli Hanumantha Rao has already thrown his hat into the ring. Rao is considered to be a strong leader. Some more aspirants are also in the race.

Similarly, a day after the AICC appointed Deepa Dasmunshi as the new state in-charge, Revanth Reddy announced that the names of minister in-charges for every district and the Malkajigiri Lok Sabha in-charge and Agriculture minister Thummala Nageshwar Rao had started holding a series of meetings with local leaders of the party to identify the right candidate and prepare a strategy to bag the seat. Process to identify strong leaders for the Secunderabad and Chevella Lok Sabha segments is also on.

Speculations are that former Chevella MP and BJP leader Konda Vishweswar Reddy may be roped in. It may be mentioned here that both Revanth and Vishweswar Reddy have good relations. He is also a former MP from Chevella. The BJP too is said to be trying to convince him not to migrate and that they would field him from Chevella.

The Secunderabad Assembly constituency becomes another prestigious seat as Union Minister for Tourism G Kishan Reddy would be contesting again from here. Hence the Congress wants to put a strong candidate against him. The Congress is conducting a survey to identify the candidate. The Congress had won this seat in 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress senior leader Anjan Kumar Yadav who lost the Assembly elections from the Musheerabad constituency is said to be lobbying for the Secunderabad seat. If the party high command prefers a young leader he wants that his son Anil Kumar Yadav should be given the ticket.

Revanth Reddy will hold a meeting with all Congress leaders of the three Lok Sabha segments in January and finalise the candidates, sources told the Hans India.