Congress wants allies to make concession on certain seats

Hyderabad: The Congress, which is taking the upcoming Assembly polls very seriously, is keen to not lose even one seat due to selection of weak candidates. It is therefore trying to convince its allies, TJS president Prof. Kodandaram and Communist Party of India Telangana secretary, Chada Venkata Reddy, not to insist on standing for election as neither is a particularly strong candidate in any constituency, and instead to be made Members of the Legislative Council and be taken into the Cabinet if the alliance is voted to power.

According to top sources, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee has constituted a confidential committee with three members to deal with the the TJS and the CPI.

In the seat adjustment, the Congress has no trouble with the Telugu Desam and the main hurdles are the TJS and the CPI. The TJS is asking for around 20 seats and the CPI is asking for eight seats. But the Congress and the TD feel that the TJS and the CPI have no strong leaders who have any chance of winning and seats allotted to them will only benefit the TRS.

According to Congress sources, TJS president Prof. Kodandaram has no particular strong seat and the TRS will take special care to defeat him from wherever he contests. The Congress is therefore trying to convince him not to contest saying that they will make him an MLC. As an intellectual, Prof Kodandaram will be better suited for the Legislative Council, they said. The TPCC has also agreed to make him chairman of the Common Minimum Programme implementation committee.  

The TJS, however, is asking for the Malkajgiri seat for former MLC K. Dilip Kumar and one seat in Ranga Reddy district for TJS leader Panduranga Reddy. It wants more seats too. The Congress is also planning to give the TJS two seats — Malkajgiri and another seat in Rangareddy district.

Mr Chada Venkata Reddy is insisting on the Husnabad Assembly seat.  According to a TPCC survey in Husnabad, former Congress MLA Praveen Reddy is a stronger candidate than Mr Chada Venkata Reddy. The Congress has proposed that Mr Chada Venkata Reddy shift to the Ramagu-ndam Assembly seat which will be safer for him. They have given the example of Telangana Telugu Desam president L. Ramana, whose home constituency is Jagtiyal represented by Congress senior leader T. Jeevan Reddy, so Mr Ramana agreed to shift to the Korutla constituency. The TPCC proposed Ramagundam as a better prospect for Mr Chada Venkata Reddy or become be an MLC. The TPCC wants to give only two or three seats to the CPI.  

Out of the total 119 seats, seven seats in the old city may go to the MIM. Of the remaining 112 seats, the TD will be given about 11 seats and the TJS and CPI, four or five. That leaves the Congress to contest 96 seats.   TPCC sources said in two or three days seat adjustment among the Mahakutami allies will be finalised.