Jagga Reddy throws Congress into internal turmoil with decisions on municipal chairman candidates

Congress leader T Jagga Reddy preemptively announced municipal chairman and vice-chairman candidates, sidelining party leadership and sparking opposition, protests from senior leaders, and allegations of favoritism toward loyalists

Sangareddy: Congress leader T Jagga Reddy has sidelined the Pradesh Congress Committee and the State leadership and has announced the party’s municipal chairman and vice-chairman candidates even before finalising the councillor candidates, leaving aspirants and the party cadre surprised.

The announcement, made by Jagga Reddy during a party meeting in Sangareddy, triggered sharp divisions among Congress leaders, with several of them opposing his decisions. At a preparatory meeting for the upcoming municipal elections held recently with leaders from Sangareddy and Sadasivapet municipalities, Jagga Reddy announced Kuna Santosh as the Congress municipal chairman candidate for Sangareddy, irrespective of whether the post was reserved for the general category or BCs, while naming Mohd Shafi as the vice-chairman candidate. He further announced that Mahesh Lal would be the Congress municipal chairman candidate in Sangareddy if the post was reserved for SCs, while keeping the announcement of chairman and vice-chairman candidates for Sadasivapet pending.

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The announcement drew strong opposition, with senior Dalit leader Sunil from Sangareddy strongly objecting to the move in full public view. Jagga Reddy lashed out at Sunil for opposing his decision and allegedly abused him in public, while asking media persons not to record videos or take photographs. Later, Sunil was forcibly sent out of the meeting after being issued a stern warning. Claiming that the announcements reflected the party leadership’s decision, Jagga Reddy further said that he would not even consider Sunil for the councillor post.

The incident sparked widespread discussion within Congress circles, particularly among Dalit leaders. Many leaders opposed what they described as the autocratic decisions of Jagga Reddy. While Sunil had worked for nearly 40 years in the party, workers pointed out that Mahesh Lal was comparatively a junior leader. Party workers said they were being ignored for posts despite having worked for decades to strengthen the organisation, and accused Jagga Reddy of allotting positions only to his loyalists.