Ponnam defends Naveen Yadav’s selection for Jubilee Hills assembly bypolls

BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar defended the Congress high command’s decision to field V Naveen Yadav in the Jubilee Hills by-election. Senior leaders met former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav to pacify him, amid his concerns over local and non-local factors

Hyderabad: Defending the Congress high command’s decision to field V Naveen Yadav in the Jubilee Hills by-election, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the decision was taken after consulting all senior party leaders.

Admitting that former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav was keen to contest the by-election, the Minister said the party high command allotted the ticket to Naveen Yadav considering the prevailing circumstances.

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The Minister, along with AICC incharge Meenakshi Natarajan, Labour Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy, and other senior leaders, met Anjan Kumar at his residence on Friday and tried to pacify him.

The former MP questioned the rationale behind denying him the opportunity to contest, citing local and non-local factors. “Why was this local and non-local factor applied when a few leaders contested from Kamareddy and Husnabad?” Anjan Kumar asked in a video circulating on social media. Incidentally, Ponnam Prabhakar represents Husnabad constituency.

Despite this, the BC Welfare Minister said Anjan Kumar had been leading the party in Greater Hyderabad. “Anjan Kumar is a senior leader and he will lead the party in fighting the Jubilee Hills by-election. Congress will win the elections comfortably,” Prabhakar added.