The Telangana Congress leadership has intensified its exercise to select candidates for the forthcoming elections to two Graduate MLC constituencies, with the party high command examining potential candidates for the Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam and Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahbubnagar seats.
The terms of the incumbent MLCs Chintapandu Naveen, alias Teenmar Mallanna, and Vani Devi, daughter of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao are scheduled to end in March, prompting the Congress to begin preparations for the elections well in advance.
The party leadership has entrusted the responsibility of identifying candidates for the two constituencies to senior leaders in the state government.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka has reportedly been given responsibility for the Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam constituency, while Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha has been tasked with identifying a suitable candidate for the Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahbubnagar constituency.
The two leaders are understood to have considered social equations, local political conditions and the candidates’ standing among graduates before finalising panels of three names each.
The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee has forwarded the names to AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal for consideration by the party high command.
For the Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam constituency, the names reportedly recommended include Sarvotham Reddy, P V Srinivas and Chanagani Dayakar.
For the Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahbubnagar constituency, the names reportedly include Manne Jeevan Reddy, Sama Ramamohan Reddy and Gouri Satish.
The final selection is expected to take place after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s proposed visit to New Delhi for the Congress Working Committee meeting on September 29.
Party sources indicate that the leadership may finalise one candidate for each of the two constituencies from the six names currently under consideration.
However, the possibility of additional names being introduced at the last minute has not been ruled out. The Congress is expected to make an official announcement towards the end of September or in early October.
The Graduate MLC elections assume importance for the Congress as the party seeks to consolidate its support among educated voters in Telangana.
The selection process is therefore reportedly being undertaken with particular attention to the candidates’ visibility and acceptance among graduates in the respective constituencies.
Apart from conventional political considerations, the party leadership is also examining caste and community equations, regional representation and the candidates’ familiarity with issues concerning graduates, including employment, education and recruitment.
Opposition parties are also expected to intensify their preparations for the elections.
With the Graduate MLC constituencies having a distinct electorate and a history of producing closely contested results, the choice of candidates is likely to become an important part of the campaign.
