Hyderabad: A near unanimity emerged among Telangana Congress leaders to give the party’s Political Affairs Committee its due sanctity as the highest decision-making body in the run-up to the year-end Assembly polls.
Informally, leaders will continue with dinner diplomacy, holding luncheon meetings at different leaders’ residences at frequent intervals to project bonhomie and a feel-good image to the cadre and voters.
The agreement was achieved at one such friendly meeting organised at MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy’s residence on Wednesday, in the presence of the AICC incharge Manikrao Thakre.
The leaders were said to have made it clear in the meeting that all crucial decisions on admitting leaders from other parties, forging alliances and campaign strategies should be taken by the PAC.
The informal discussions, however, hovered around alliances with Left parties and winning the settler vote, which went en masse to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi in 2018. “One school of thought is that Congress need not go overboard to bring Left parties to its fold. The vote share of Left has shrunk and may unnecessarily disturb the present equations in the Congress, in segments where Left also has considerable presence,” a senior party leader told Deccan Chronicle.
Sources also said the former home minister and veteran K. Jana Reddy was at his philosophical best during the conversations. When the Central leadership’s strong resolve to base seat selection solely on the surveys held by strategist Sunil Kanugolu came up for discussion, Jana Reddy wondered if the leaders present at the meeting were guaranteed their tickets.
Party sources said leaders also urged A. Revanth Reddy to take up more activities. Leaders, who saw then Karnataka PCC chief D.K. Shivkumar being robust, stretching work hours and more importantly, keeping the cadre engaged in one or the other party activity, urged Revanth to take a leaf out of the Karnataka experience.
