Congress factionalism deepens between in-charges, DCC chiefs in erstwhile Adilabad

Factional differences between Congress Assembly constituency in-charges and DCC presidents have reportedly deepened across the erstwhile Adilabad district, with disputes over party appointments and leadership emerging in Adilabad, Nirmal, Kumram Bheem Asifabad and Mancherial districts

Adilabad: Persistent factionalism continues to trouble the Congress in the erstwhile Adilabad district. In the latest instance, differences have cropped up between various Assembly constituency in-charges and District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents, with the internal clashes becoming a major headache for the party.

The gap between Congress Assembly constituency in-charges and DCC presidents of Adilabad, Nirmal, Kumram Bheem Asifabad and Mancherial districts has reportedly deepened. Significantly, a major portion of the in-charges of the 10 Assembly segments are not on good terms with the presidents of the four districts, reflecting internal differences within the party.

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For instance, Adilabad Assembly segment in-charge Kandi Srinivas Reddy and his counterpart from Boath, Ade Gajender, are openly clashing with DCC chief Naresh Jadhav. Recently, Gajender threatened to approach Gandhi Bhavan to lodge a complaint against Naresh’s stance.

Gajender alleged that Naresh was sidelining loyal leaders of his faction while recruiting mandal-level committees. He accused Naresh of causing injustice to those who had worked hard for the growth of the Congress. He charged that the DCC president was discriminating against his followers. Gajender contested on the Congress ticket from Boath in the 2023 Assembly polls.

Similarly, Asifabad Assembly segment in-charge A. Shyam Naik is leading a faction against Kumram Bheem Asifabad district DCC chief Athram Suguna. Mudhole Assembly constituency in-charge Narayana Rao Patel and senior Congress leader K. Srihari have expressed dissatisfaction over the appointment of Khanapur MLA Vedma Bhojju as Nirmal DCC president.

Meanwhile, differences have reportedly emerged between Mancherial MLA Premsagar Rao and DCC president Pinninti Raghunath Reddy, with the latter moving closely with Labour Minister Dr G. Vivek Venkataswamy and his sibling G. Vinod. The infighting is likely to dent the prospects of the Congress in future if it is not resolved.

Due to these internal disputes, various mandal-level nominated posts remain vacant. The issue has reportedly been brought to the notice of TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, who expressed anger against two DCC presidents. Congress leaders said efforts were under way to bridge the differences and restore unity.