Hyderabad: Race for PCC and CLP chief begins

Hyderabad: After the defeat in the December 7 Assembly elections, lobbying has started in the Telangana Congress for the post of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and state party presidency. TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy completed his four-year term but was asked to continue in view of the Assembly elections.

According to sources, the high command will revamp the TPCC to get it ready for the Lok Sabha elections next year.

The Congress won 19 Assembly seats and is eligible to be the main Opposition party in the Assembly. The Opposition leader will get Cabinet rank status and facilities like vehicles and staff.

In view of this, several Congress MLAs are eyeing the post. Some Congress leaders have suggested the name of Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy as CLP leader and that he resign as TPCC chief. Persons close to him said the high command had asked him to continue as TPCC president.

There is a proposal to move Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy to the CLP and make TPCC campaign committee chairman Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka as the new TPCC chief.

But Mr Mallu Bhatti is interested only in the CLP post. Mr Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy is also in the race for the CLP leader’s post. His followers’ claim that most MLAs support him. Some Congress leaders suggest that to avoid controversy over CLP leadership, it is better to make former legislature minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu to th post.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is planning to call the Assembly session by December 18. If this is confirmed, the CLP may meet before this to elect its new leader. Congress sources said that the high command was busy with the formation of new governments in three states and would look at Telangana state later.