GP elections cause fissures in CPI-Congress alliance in Telangana

The Congress–CPI alliance in Telangana’s Kothagudem constituency is showing signs of collapse after gram panchayat elections saw both parties contesting against each other. Despite earlier commitments, Congress supporters filed nominations in CPI strongholds and even allied with the BJP in some panchayats.

Kothagudem: The pre-poll alliance which the Congress and CPI parties arrived at during last Assembly elections in the State seems to be falling apart in the wake of the developments in gram panchayat elections in the district.

Despite the alliance, both Congress and CPI supporters contested individually without extending support to the contestants of the respective parties in the district in the just concluded gram panchayat elections.

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There has been a direct and tough contest between supporters of both the parties particularly in Kothagudem Assembly constituency,
represented by the CPI State secretary Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao.

The contest is seen as a breaking point in the already strained relations between both the parties in the constituency where leaders of respective parties often clash. Congress won 49 sarpanch seats while CPI won 37 seats in the constituency.

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy who felicitated the sarpanch-elects on Thursday maintained that Congress and CPI had a ‘friendly contest’ in the GP elections. On the other hand, Sambasiva Rao speaking at a meeting held here on Friday to felicitate the party’s sarpanch-elects said the party has not fielded its supporters in 11 GPs honouring the alliance.

But, Congress supporters filed nominations in the GPs where the CPI was contesting even as the discussions were underway. While the CPI contested alone, Congress took the support of the BJP in some panchayats. CPI did not criticise them out of respect for the alliance dharma, but some Congress leaders went too far, he alleged.

Importantly, a CPI leader’s greed and Congress’ failure to respect the alliance in deputy sarpanch election in Srinagar GP is said to have made things go out of balance. As Congress won the sarpanch seat, it was decided to offer deputy sarpanch seat to CPI’s Lagadapati Ramesh.

But Congress lured a CPI ward member Keshava Rao to join the party and made him the deputy sarpanch, much to the chagrin of Sambasiva Rao and his party men, who reportedly are mulling to cut off the alliance.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Congress leadership is planning to offer a ‘good deal’ to Vidyanagar GP’s sarpanch and ward members of CPI if they join Congress. The GP near Kothagudem town is the place where the MLA lives.