Telangana Congress divided over upcoming polls

Hyderabad: The upcoming elections to two Graduate Constituencies ( Khammam - Warangal - Nalgonda and Hyderabad - Mahbubnagar - Rangareddy) and Greater Warangal and Khammam Municipal Corporation elections have put the Telangana Congress in a big trouble.

The State party leadership has split into two factions on the selection of candidates and in finalising the party strategy for the crucial polls which are likely to be held before April. A group of leaders were insisting to fight the elections alone while the other group wanted to create a Congress-led Front involving all anti TRS and BJP forces.

Party sources said that the party senior leaders are in favour of fielding strong candidates in the two graduate segments and fight the elections single handedly. The leaders already shortlisted the names of the probable contestants. Former minister G Chinna Reddy and former MLAs Ch Vamshi Chand Reddy, SA Sampath Kumar, K Srisailam Goud and Rammohan Reddy are vyying for the party ticket to contest from Hyderabad graduate constituency.

rom Warangal - Nalgonda - Khammam segment, senior leaders Ramulu Naik and D Sravan Kumar are the front runners for ticket.

Party sources said that TPCC working President A Revanth Reddy and his group suggested the party high command to support Telangana Jana Samithi leader M Kodandaram who already launched intensifed campaign as one of the contestant in Warangal graduate constituency.

" The leaders feel Congress already faced series of defeats and it is high time to rejuvenate the party. As the party 's winning prospects are bleak, leaders opined staying away from graduate constituencies is good option. The leaders wanted to extend support to the strong non-TRS and non -BJP candidates in the elections.

Another group of leaders mainly CLP leader Batti Vikramarka and TPCC President Uttam Kumar Reddy informed the State Party incharge Manikam Tagore the Congress readiness to fight elections and strengthen the party through electoral politics only.

The two factions suggested different political strategies to fight Warangal and Khammam corporation elections. One of the groups demanded to declare candidates and take up campaign in advance as BJP already hit the campaign trail in the two poll-bound corporations.

Party sources said that a party committee with all senior leaders Uttam, Bhatti Vikramarka, Revanth and P Prabhakar was entrusted the responsibility of resolving all internal issues with regard to elections at the earliest.