Congress infighting intensifies in Jagtial ahead of municipal polls

Infighting within the Congress party intensified in Jagtial ahead of municipal elections after more tickets were allotted to the MLA’s group. Supporters of senior leader T Jeevan Reddy staged protests, prompting police to deploy additional forces near the MLA’s residence.

Jagtial: The rift between senior Congress leader T Jeevan Reddy and Jagtial MLA Dr Sanjay Kumar has intensified ahead of the municipal elections here.

The two leaders have been at loggerheads for the past two years. The differences widened further following the Congress party’s decision to allot more tickets to the MLA’s group in the Jagtial municipal elections.

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There are 50 divisions in the Jagtial municipality. The party has reportedly decided to allocate 29 tickets to the legislator’s group and the remaining 21 to the followers of Jeevan Reddy.

Angered by the decision, Jeevan Reddy is said to have conveyed his strong displeasure to the party leadership.

After learning of the decision, followers of Jeevan Reddy gathered in large numbers at his residence in Jagtial on Tuesday, the last day for withdrawal of nominations, and registered their protest.

Speaking on the occasion, the protesters came down heavily on the MLA, accusing him of harming their prospects by joining the party recently. They also accused the party leadership of favouring Sanjay Kumar’s supporters, alleging that he had never worked for the Congress party.

As the protesters reportedly warned of an attack on the MLA’s residence, police deployed additional forces at Sanjay Kumar’s house.