Infighting continues in Congress over Huzurabad poll debacle

Hyderabad: The result in Huzurabad by-election continues to fuel the fire among Telangana Congress leaders, who complained against each other for the party’s poll debacle, during a crucial meeting convened by the high command at the Congress war room in New Delhi on Saturday. Following a series of complaints against the party leadership in Telangana […]

Hyderabad: The result in Huzurabad by-election continues to fuel the fire among Telangana Congress leaders, who complained against each other for the party’s poll debacle, during a crucial meeting convened by the high command at the Congress war room in New Delhi on Saturday.

Following a series of complaints against the party leadership in Telangana after the election results, the high command summoned the senior leaders including Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A Revanth Reddy to New Delhi to discuss the circumstances that contributed for the party’s poor performance in by-election.

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All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal, who chaired the meeting with the TPCC leaders, patiently heard the views expressed by the leaders who blamed each other for fielding the party candidate Balmoori Venkat Narsing Rao who secured a little over 3,000 votes as against 60,000 votes secured by Congress candidate Padi Kaushik Reddy in 2018 Assembly elections.

While one group of Congress leaders spoke against Revanth Reddy and another gave feedback against former TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy for allegedly supporting Kaushik Reddy in all fronts even after the latter quit the party. This triggered a heated argument between Uttam Kumar Reddy and former MP Ponnam Prabhakar who is believed to have said that some leaders in the party were working as coverts to other parties.

Sources said Prabhakar blamed Uttam Kumar Reddy for dilly-dallying in taking a decision over inducting former Health Minister Eatala Rajender into the Congress which has now proven to be beneficial to BJP. He reportedly alleged that Uttam Kumar Reddy supported Kaushik Reddy to get the MLC post. Further, he requested the high command to conduct in-depth review of the results of Dubbak, Nagarjuna Sagar and Huzurabad by-elections along with GHMC elections.

Intervening in the discussion, Uttam Kumar Reddy found fault with the TPCC leadership for fielding Venkat as a candidate in Huzurabad. Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who was also present in the meeting, said some party leaders strongly opposed Rajender’s entry in the party.

Another senior leader V Hanumantha Rao said that on whose advice, Venkat was fielded in Huzurabad bypoll. Leaders also brought to the notice of the high command about crores of rupees allegedly spent by the TRS and BJP during the by-election.

Venugopal, who noted down the leaders views, would submit a report to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Jagga Reddy writes letter to high command

Congress MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy requested the high command to find out as why Congress vote share was transferred to the BJP candidate Eatala Rajendhar during by-election in Huzarabad assembly constituency.

“Who is responsible for this vote bank transfer? Why party failed to declare a local candidate? Why the name of Balmoori Venkat was announced in the eleventh hour?” he asked in a letter to the AICC general secretary KC Venugopal. He said the Huzurabad Congress candidate was financially weak and this fact is known to the TPCC president A Revanth Reddy and CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.

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