TPCC starts screening Lok Sabha poll ticket aspirants

Hyderabad: The Congress on Tuesday started screening applications from aspirants seeking to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, with sources saying that the highest number of applications were filed for the Mahbubabad and Warangal constituencies.

A Pradesh Election Committee meeting (PEC) was chaired by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at the Gandhi Bhavan on the day, with AICC Telangana affairs incharge Deepa Dasmunsi, screening committee chairman Harish Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, among others, taking part in the screening process.

The Congress had invited applications from aspirants for all 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state from January 31 to February 3, and received 309 applications in all. Sources said there was huge demand for tickets to SC and ST reserved constituencies, over general constituencies.

Mahbubabad, which is an ST-reserved seat, received the highest number of applications, at 48, followed by Warangal, an SC-reserved seat, at 42. The lowest number of applications were received for Mahbubnagar, at 4, followed by Nalgonda (9), Nizamabad (9) and Zaheerabad (6).

Among the constituencies that received over 20 applications each were Peddapalli (SC reserved), at 29, Bhongir (28), SC-reserved Nagarkurnool (26) and ST-reserved Adilabad (22). The constituencies for which 10 to 20 applications each were filed comprise Medak (11), Malkajgiri (11), Hyderabad (11), Chevella (12), Karimnagar (14) and Secunderabad (16).

The screening committee will shortlist candidates and recommend three names from each constituency to the party high command, which will take the final call.

Party sources said that the high command has decided to announce the names of candidates for Lok Sabha polls before the code of conduct comes into force.

The Election Commission of India is expected to release the schedule for Lok Sabha elections by February-end.