Ministers sweat it out for the Party as stakes are personal
As the campaign for Lok Sabha elections enters the last 10 days, Ministers are sweating out in the harsh summer heat to ensure the Congress ag ies high and is in the good books of the party’s high command that has directed the Ministers to stay put in the constituencies allotted to them.
Poor performance may not have an impact on their position but will certainly hamper their future growth in the party and the respect they command in New Delhi. Ever since AICC Secretary K. C. Venugopal, in a meeting in Hyderabad, asked them to move out of Hyderabad and con ne themselves in the constituencies, none of them are seen here.
The stakes are high for the Ministers more than the contestants themselves in these elections as the majority of the Lok Sabha candidates of the Congress are not stalwarts themselves. Except for MLC T. Jeevan Reddy, who is the contestant in Nizamabad, the remaining are relatively dependent on the charisma of the party, Chief Minister and the Ministers concerned.
Former Union Minister Balaram Naik, a contestant from Mahbubabad (ST reserved) constituency and Mallu Ravi, a contestant from Nagarkurnool (ST reserved) are the other exceptions who have the experience of serving in the Parliament on behalf of Congress. But they too are dependent on the Ministers for nancial and muscle strength.
Suresh Shetkar from Zaheerabad was an MP from 2009 to 2014 and is perhaps the only old-timer who is nancially strong to take on the BRS and BJP candidates. Chevella contestant Ranjit Reddy, who was a BRS MP from 2019 to 2023, is now the Congress candidate.
The challenging task among all in the Cabinet is Mr. Revanth Reddy, who is expected to win the Mahabubnagar and Malkagiri seats apart from Chevella.
The stakes are high for the ministers as the majority of the Lok Sabha candidates of the Congress are not stalwarts
Tough task for women
The two women Ministers in the Cabinet — D Seethakka and Konda Surekha — face a sti challenge in emerging successful in their task as the constituencies allotted to them are not represented by the Congress in many Assembly constituencies.
Seethakka is entrusted with the responsibility of the Adilabad (ST reserved) constituency that is held by the BJP in the Parliament now.
Similarly, rebrand Minister Konda Surekha is taking care of the Medak constituency where the BRS is the strongest in terms of MLAs and huge margins that the party secured thanks to the constituencies represented by BRS chief K. Chandrashekhar Rao (Gajwel) and former Minister T. Harish Rao (Siddipet). Congress won just one seat (Medak Assembly) while the remaining six are with the BRS.