Hyderabad: “Old horses” in the Congress, including those who were defeated in the previous elections, are preparing to test their luck once again. Apart from the party MLAs in the dissolved Assembly, the names of former ministers, former MLAs and MLCs are on the list of candidates send by the TPCC to the high command.
Sources said Congress president Rahul Gandhi had returned to Delhi after his Mansarovar yatra, and the TPCC leadership was expecting a call from the high command in a day or two to finalise the list.
Sources said the TPCC, on the directions of the party high command, had conducted a survey and prepared a list of “winning horses” and sent it for consideration. The party high command has also gathered feedbacks from its own sources about the candidates. After studying both and consulting the TPCC leaders, the high command is expected to prepare a final list.
According to sources, all MLAs in the dissolved Assembly would be given tickets. TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, his wife Padmavathi, former Opposition leader K. Jana Reddy, TPCC working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, former ministers T. Jeevan Reddy, J. Geetha Reddy, D.K. Aruna and Komatireddy Venkata Reddy and AICC secretaries Sampath Kumar and Challa Vamsichand Reddy are on the list.
Also on the list are former deputy chief minister Damodar Raja Narasimha, former ministers Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Sudarshan Reddy, D. Sridhar Babu, Marri Sashidhar Reddy, Sunitha Laxmareddy, Sabita Indra Reddy and G. Chinna Reddy, former MLAs Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy and Sudhir Reddy, defected MLA A. Revanth Reddy and former minister Nagam Janardhan Reddy.
Sources said former Congress MLCs Shabbir Ali and Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy were likely to be given tickets. According to a member of the TPCC, the high command may name only MLAs in the dissolved Assembly and senior leaders with clean records in the first list, which will cover more than 50 per cent of the 119 seats.
Keeping in view the possibility of alliances with other parties, some seats will be kept vacant till a final decision is arrived at. The TPCC is expecting an alliance with the TD, the CPI and the Telangana Praja Samiti and is willing to allot 29 seats to them. If the alliance talks bear fruit the Congress may contest around 90 seats.
