DCC chiefs demand tickets, cite N Uttam Kumar Reddy entering the fray

Hyderabad: Presidents of the District Congress Committees in Telangana are in the race for tickets for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

Usually, the Congress party does not allow DCC presidents to contest Assembly elections because they have the responsibility of looking after the entire district and have to concentrate on party affairs in the entire district at the time of elections. This has been the practice for several years. A DCC president will only be allowed to contest if no strong candidate is available.

This has not deterred the majority of DCC presidents wanting to try their luck in the forthcoming Assembly elections, and they have submitted their applications to the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee for consideration.

Warangal DCC president N. Rajendar Reddy wants to contest the Warangal West Assembly seat, while Mahabubnagar DCC president Md Obedulla Kothwal wants to contest from Mahabubnagar Assembly constituency. Adilabad DCC president and former MLA Maheswar Reddy is eyeing the Nirmal Assembly constituency.

Rangareddy DCC president Kyama Mallesh is trying to contest from Ibrahimpatnam and Medak DCC president and former Minister Sunitha Laxma Reddy from Narsapur. Nizamabad DCC president Taher Bin Hamdan and Karimnagar DCC president and former MLA Katakam Mrutyunjayam are also keen to contest the Assembly elections. Ms Sunitha Laxma Reddy is likely to get the ticket.

The DCC presidents who want to contest are hoping that the party will consider their candidature, as it did in the Karnataka Assembly elections held earlier this year. Some of them are ready to give up their posts if the party gives them the chance to contest. Some are questioning why they cannot contest when the All India Congress Committee president and the TPCC president are contesting.

Warangal DCC president N. Rajender Reddy told this newspaper, “For the past 20 years, I have been hearing that the DCC presidents should not contest the elections. The Congress party has given chances to many DCC presidents in Karnataka in the recent elections. I am now an aspirant for the fifth time and I am ready to sacrifice the DCC post if the party asks me to choose between the two.”