Worries over Congress Nizamabad Urban strategy backfiring

Nizamabad: A section of Congress leaders is worried over the party’s possibility of allotting the MLA ticket from Nizamabad Urban constituency to a member of the minority community.

The leaders point out that the constituency has been dominated by backward classes for decades. The party strategy of fielding a minority leader from Nizamabad Urban on the pretext of a sizable Muslim population in the constituency may thus backfire.

In support of their contention, they point out that eying minority votes in 2018 assembly elections, Congress fielded its senior leader Taher Bin Hamdan from Nizamabad Urban MLA candidate. But he lost.

Now, the same card is being played again. There is talk of shifting senior Congress leader Mohammad Ali Shabbir from Kamareddy to Nizamabad. Shabbir is an established leader of Kamareddy. He won from here twice as MLA and served as cabinet minister. In 2010 byelection, Shabbir migrated to Yellareddy constituency and lost. Some Congress leaders feel now shifting him to Nizamabad Urban is not advisable.

It is well known that Nizamabad has been a stronghold of backward class leaders, like former PCC president D. Srinivas, D. Satyanarayana and Satish Pawar. Munnuru Kapus are sizable in this urban assembly constituency. Of the five assembly seats in Nizamabad district, Congress has already allocated four seats of Bodhan, Armoor, Balkonda and Nizamabad Rural to Reddy candidates. BCs are eagerly waiting Congress high command’s decision on Nizamabad Urban seat.

Congress leaders say experience, loyalty and credibility among people should be considered before finalising the candidates for Nizamabad Urban.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior party leader on condition of anonymity said the existing MLA ticket aspirants in Nizamabad Urban lack either credibility or experience. The party must field a strong candidate to retain its base in Nizamabad, he underlined.