Telangana: Congress to Finalise MLC Candidates Today
The Congress is set to declare candidates for four out of five MLC seats under the MLA quota on Sunday
Hyderabad:The Congress is set to declare candidates for four out of five MLC seats under the MLA quota on Sunday. The elections, if necessary, will be held on March 20. The last date for filing nominations is Monday.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and TPCC chief B. Mahesh Kumar Goud were expected to leave for Delhi on Saturday night to meet AICC leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and K.C. Venugopal to finalise the selection of candidates. Their trip was cancelled at the last minute on Saturday due to non-availability of AICC leaders in Delhi on Sunday.
AICC general secretary (orgnisation) K.C. Venugopal reportedly told Revanth Reddy on Saturday night that he would call the delegation over the phone and finalise the candidates on Sunday.
With 65 MLAs, the Congress can secure three MLC seats. The party is eyeing a fourth seat with the support of seven AIMIM MLAs, a CPI legislators and ten BRS MLAs who defectedto the Congress.
Meanwhile, the BRS, with 28 MLAs, after losing 10 to the Congress, is poised to secure one seat with ease.
If these five candidates remain in the fray, the Election Commission will not need to conduct polling on March 20, and they will be declared elected unopposed. An election will be required if Congress and BRS field additional candidates.
The CPI, a pre-poll alliance partner of Congress in the 2023 Assembly elections, is demanding one MLC seat from the four that Congress can potentially win. The CPI is reminding Congress of its pre-election promise to allocate one MLA seat and two MLC seats as part of their alliance agreement. The party insists that Congress should honour this commitment by granting it one of the MLC seat.
The key question now is whether the Congress high command will accommodate CPI’s demand or proceed with nominating all four candidates from its own ranks. A final decision on this matter is expected to be announced on Sunday.
