Congress struggles with allies over seat-sharing before Telangana municipal polls

The Congress is grappling with internal dissent and strained alliances ahead of municipal elections in Telangana. While TJS and CPI insist on contesting independently due to unmet promises, CPI(M) has extended partial support.

Hyderabad: Apart from dealing with the demands of turncoat MLAs, the Congress is facing a tough time convincing its allies over seat-sharing for the upcoming municipal elections.

The Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and the CPI are sticking to their stand on fielding candidates and contesting elections in several municipalities and municipal corporations.

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TJS founder Prof M Kodandaram was nominated as an MLC under the seat-sharing pact with the Congress. However, the party remains dissatisfied with the Congress approach to fulfilling the remaining promises made as part of the alliance. TJS was assured two MLC nominations, a couple of corporation chairperson posts and four district corporation chairperson posts.

As the Congress has failed to honour these commitments, the TJS has now decided to field candidates in 40 municipalities and municipal corporations during the elections.

Similarly, the CPI has also resolved to contest in several municipalities and municipal corporations. Citing its strong presence in the erstwhile Khammam and Nalgonda districts, the CPI has demanded that the Congress adhere to the agreed alliance norms.

The Congress had reached out to the CPI(M) for support during the Lok Sabha elections after it was excluded from the alliance during the Assembly polls. The CPI(M) extended support to the ruling party in 16 of the 17 parliamentary constituencies.

Meanwhile, showing little regard for its allies and their demands, the Congress has begun announcing candidates and stepping up their preparations. Even before clarity emerged on contesting the elections as part of an alliance, a few Congress Ministers were assigned specific responsibilities.

On Thursday, AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan held a meeting with TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud and Nizamabad in-charge N Uttam Kumar Reddy at Gandhi Bhavan.

Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy has already announced candidates for 45 of the 48 divisions in the Nalgonda Municipal Corporation. Similarly, TPCC working president Jagga Reddy announced candidates for Sadashivpet municipality.

In addition to alliance-related issues, turncoat MLAs who defected from the BRS to the Congress have also begun making demands. Jagityal MLA Dr Sanjay attended a party meeting at Gandhi Bhavan last week, which drew strong objections from former Minister Jeevan Reddy.

He warned that any interference by turncoat MLAs and their supporters in party affairs would not be tolerated. This, party leaders said, is not an isolated incident, with similar situations occurring in a few other constituencies across the State.

With Friday being the last date for filing nominations, candidates from all parties are in the process of filing papers. If any alliance arrangement materialises, candidates will have the option to withdraw their nominations before February 3.