TPCC Set On 60 % Of Candidates, To Poach Dissidents From BRS For Rest

Hyderabad: TPCC leaders, who have reportedly finalised at least 60 per cent of candidates for the upcoming state Assembly elections, are looking at selecting BRS dissidents for the remaining seats. Speculation is rife that a few senior leaders in the BJP are also keeping an eye on vacancies in the Congress.

TPCC senior leaders, including its chief A. Revanth Reddy, are still in Delhi, in consultation with AICC leaders and AICC Telangana incharge Manikrao Thakre about new inductions, after the screening committee sent its list of candidates for approval.

Sources said that a few senior leaders from BRS and BJP are in touch with the TPCC, expressing their willingness to join the party. This was also brought to the notice of AICC leaders, over dissidents' capabilities to win their respective constituencies.

It was also reported that Malkajgiri MLA Mynampalli Hanumantha Rao was likely to go to Delhi to join the Congress in the presence of AICC leaders. However, Hanumantha Rao, who quit the BRS over the lack of a ticket for his son M. Rohith, is unlikely to get his wish fulfilled, as the Congress has reiterated that it would stand by its ‘One family, One seat’ policy in the Udaipur Declaration.

Although Hanumantha Rao's followers claimed the Congress had promised tickets for the minister and his son, sources said the AICC would take the call on the same.

Hanumantha Rao on Saturday said that he would contest from Malkajgiri constituency and serve the Malkajgiri public. In the previous election, Hanumanth Rao won the seat by a margin of 75,000 votes.