CM goes into huddle with Ministers after surveys predict poor Congress show in municipal polls

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy convened a meeting with senior Congress leaders to strategise for the upcoming municipal elections after internal surveys suggested the party was trailing behind rivals, particularly the BRS.

Hyderabad: With surveys predicting a poor showing for the Congress in the ensuing municipal elections and indicating that the party was lagging behind its rivals, particularly the BRS, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday went into a huddle with his Cabinet colleagues to discuss strategies to be adopted.

AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud and other senior leaders participated in the meeting. However, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s absence raised a few eyebrows.

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During the meeting, the Ministers were reportedly reminded that it was their responsibility to ensure the victory of Congress candidates in their respective parliamentary constituencies. They were also told that the candidates had been finalised based on their recommendations after due consultation with local leaders.

It is learnt that the meeting discussed at length the outcome of at least four internal surveys, which indicated that the Congress was either weak or lagging behind in several districts, including erstwhile Adilabad, erstwhile Medak, erstwhile Nizamabad, erstwhile Karimnagar and a few areas of Mahabubnagar.

Insiders said the Chief Minister asked the Ministers to campaign extensively in their parliamentary constituencies and to submit day-wise reports on the ground situation. Considering the protests by several ticket aspirants, the Ministers were also entrusted with the task of convincing rebel candidates and were asked to ensure that they do not impact the party’s prospects in the elections.

In the wake of the Gram Panchayat election results, the Congress is placing greater focus on the municipal polls, as they are contested on party symbols.