Telangana Cong set for revamp ahead of polls
HYDERABAD: Faced with a do-or-die situation, the Telangana Congress led by Malkajgiri parliamentarian A Revanth Reddy is all set to go for a complete overhaul infusing young blood into the party ahead of the next year’s state assembly polls.
A senior party leader, privy to the developments in the party, said Revanth Reddy, who met newly appointed All India Congress Committee chief Mallkharjun Kharge in Delhi early this week, presented a blueprint for the party reorganisation, which would go all out to face the assembly elections, scheduled to be held in December next year.
“The PCC chief has proposed a complete revamp of the party with new faces and enthusiastic leaders who are action oriented, replacing those who have been taking their positions for granted and keeping away from the battleground,” said the party leader not wishing to be named.
The Congress is virtually facing an existential crisis, with the large-scale defection of leaders and workers into the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Bharatiya Janata Party in last few years.
The strength of the party in the state assembly has already shrunk from 19 seats in December 2018 to five with the defection of 12 MLAs into the TRS and another MLA – Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy from Munugode -- into the BJP, while it lost another seat in the Huzurabad assembly by-election in 2020.
Following the recent debacle in the by-elections to Munugode assembly seat in which it lost its deposit, the Congress has virtually conceded its second position to the BJP which is emerging as a potential alternative to the TRS in the run-up to the next year’s assembly elections.
Revanth Reddy, who took over as the new PCC chief in July 2021, has been finding it tough to handle senior leaderswho have been creating troubles for him right from the day one.
There were too many aspirants for the PCC chief post – Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Sangareddy MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy, former minister Marri Shashidhar
Reddy, senior OBC leader V Hanumantha Rao and former PCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah. Many of them were not able to digest the fact that Revanth Reddy, who defected from Telugu Desam Party months before the December 2018 elections, could become the PCC chief. They lodged complaints to the high command stating that he was taking unilateral decisions and was not informing the local leaders while visiting the districts. Yet, the high command reposed faith in Revanth Reddy, since he is younger and a massive crowd-puller with aggressive speeches.
However, the poor show by the Congress in Huzurabad and Munugode bypolls caused a dent to his popular image, leading to the talk in the party that he is not a match-winner. “It was just a hype created by a group of people that Revanth Reddy will turn around the fortunes of the party. He has insulted the senior leaders who had worked for years, describing them as home guards. He is a miserable failure,” said former minister Marri Shashidhar Reddy, who quit the party and defected to the BJP in the last week of November.
Venkat Reddy, who was appointed as the star campaigner, stayed away from the campaign in Munugode, as his brother Rajagopal Reddy contested on the BJP ticket. He was served a show-cause notice by the party and is expected to quit the party sooner than later.
Revanth Reddy said a majority of leaders are supporting him. “Those who are leaving the party are the ones who had their eyes on the PCC chief post. Their exit won’t make much difference to the party,” he said, in an interview to a vernacular daily.
The PCC chief proposed an overhaul – from appointing new working presidents to revitalising the campaign committee.
“Seniors like CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, former TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy and AICC secretary D Sridhar Babu also took part in the discussions. The PCC chief prefers a young team, who can do a lot of groundwork, instead of those who are confined to addressing press conferences at Gandhi Bhavan, the party headquarters in Hyderabad,” the party leader quoted above said.
Revanth is working out a comprehensive strategy in coordination with party’s political strategist Sunil Kanugolu. “Hereafter, the party activity will be completely on ground, in the form of padayatras, street corner meetings, public meetings and extensive social media campaign,” the leader said.
Political analyst Sriram Karri said it would be foolhardy to dismiss Congress in assembly polls, though it has lost out on the narrative, which is about a weakening TRS versus a growing BJP. “Congress has organisational strength, grassroots presence, support blocks, and local leadership. A revamp might help TPCC find its mojo but they have to take tough and quick decisions.”