Congress candidates file nominations with scant regard to screening committee constitution

The Telangana Congress is facing internal discord as several senior leaders and ministers bypassed the Screening Committees and unilaterally announced candidates for upcoming municipal elections. Some leaders have released candidate lists without approval.

Hyderabad: Candidates and leaders at the local level seem to have little regard for the Screening Committee constituted by the Telangana Congress as many filed nominations to contest the municipal elections without waiting for the Committee’s approval.

Soon after the municipal elections schedule was released, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) constituted parliamentary constituency wise committees for finalizing the candidates.

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Each committee is being led by a Cabinet Minister, save for Adilabad constituency, which is being led by Government Advisor P Sudarshan Reddy. The Committees have been specifically directed to consult with local MLAs and MPs and finalise the candidates depending on a few factors like social justice and winning prospects.

However, the local leadership at many places has announced candidates and many have filed the nominations as well. For instance, SC and ST Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman is in charge of the Nalgonda Parliamentary constituency. But, even before a meeting was conducted or other leaders were consulted, Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy declared the list of candidates for 45 divisions out of 48 divisions in Nalgonda Municipal Corporation, party sources said.

Similarly, Labour Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy is incharge for Medak constituency. Like the R&B Minister, TPCC working president T Jagga Reddy announced candidates for a few divisions to contest Sadashivpet and Sangareddy municipal elections.

Questions are being raised by a section of leaders over senior leaders’ practice of announcing the candidates. “If Ministers and senior leaders announce the candidates, what is the purpose of appointing screening committees,” asked a senior leader from Gandhi Bhavan.

At Chandur municipality in Nalgonda on Saturday, a Congress aspirant B Venu attempted suicide by consuming pesticide, alleging that he was denied B Form by the party to contest the elections.

Many local leaders, citing a few reasons, are defending their move to file nominations without the committees’ approval. They claimed that loyal leaders, who have been working for the party’s cause for many years, were not being given opportunities to contest the elections.

Many candidates appear to be firm in contesting the elections as rebels against the party’s diktat. As February 3 is the last date for withdrawal of nominations, the TPCC’s Screening Committee is likely to face several challenges in convincing the disgruntled candidates.