TPCC Uttam Kumar Reddy faces crucial task in sixth year

Hyderabad: As he entered the sixth year as the president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), N Uttam Kumar Reddy stares at a gigantic task of rejuvenating the party, particularly where it suffered immense damage. He has an unenviable task of rebuilding the party in Assembly constituencies where it has lost leaders.

As far as the record of PCC president is concerned, Uttam would be the second one to complete five years as TPCC chief continuously. After bifurcation of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, N Raghuveera Reddy completed six years in the office of APCC president. From Telangana, D Srinivas was the only other leader who completed four years continuously in the office. He was appointed two times as president of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee before the division of the state.

Most of the Congress leaders completed a term of less than three years in the PCC president office. Uttam has taken over as president of PCC on March 8, 2015, in place of Ponnala Laxmaiah. Earlier he was the working president of the TPCC which was formed during the process of division of state. After the general elections to Assembly in 2018, the Congress has lost leadership in about 40 Assembly constituencies. The MLAs who represented 12 constituencies have shifted to TRS. Several senior leaders have also left the party in the past one and half years. As he entered into the sixth year in PCC president's office, Uttam has to find new suitable leaders to lead the party in those segments.