Battered, Congress eyes panchayat polls
The party is demanding that panchayat elections be held only after the reservations are properly implemented.
Hyderabad: The Congress, after its trouncing in the As sembly elections, is hoping to do better in the panchayat polls with the expectation that it will rub off on the Lok Sabha elections next year.
The party is demanding that panchayat elections be held only after the reservations are properly implemented. Internally, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has inform-ed Congress Assembly contestants to take responsibility for the panchayat elections in the state in their constituencies.
Mr Reddy said the notification for the polls would be issued in a day or two and elections are likely to be on January 10. A senior leader said the TRS was scheduling the panchayat elections early in order to cash in on the Congress cadres’ demoralisation after their defeat.
The Congress has an uphill battle as the TRS did well in the rural areas in the Assembly elections. But party leaders believe that local candidates will influence the panchayat elections. They believe that a victory in the panchayat elections will lay the ground for its Lok Sabha campaign.
Senior Congress leaders belonging to BC communities are demanding that the elections be held after reservations are implemented properly for BC candidates. Various BC organisations are planning a meet on December 19 to prepare an action plan for the purpose.
Congress leader Sravan Dasoju had written to Chief Minister K. Chand-rasekhar Rao demanding enumeration and socio-economic survey of BCs. Dr Dasoju also demanded categorisation in reservation of seats for BCs.