Grand alliance split on CM face in Telangana

HYDERABAD: The partners of the Opposition’s grand alliance in Telangana are grappling with the problem of finding a consensus candidate for chief minister, even as they try to negotiate a stalemate over seat-sharing for the December 7 assembly elections.

The Congress has been playing big brother in the grand alliance – it comprises the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS), and CPI, apart from the Congress — and is seeking a lion’s share of Telangana’s 119 assembly seats. But Congress does not have a single leader acceptable to all for projection as a chief ministerial candidate.

That’s not for a want of volunteers, though. At least six senior Congress leaders are projecting themselves as the next chief minister. These include Pradesh Congress Committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy; former Congress Legislature Party leader K Jana Reddy; former ministers J Geetha Reddy and D K Aruna; former Nalgonda MLA Komatireddy Venkat Reddy; and ex-legislator from Kodangal A Revanth Reddy.

“The biggest problem in our party is that every senior leader thinks he can be the CM. So, if one leader is projected, the others would try their best to defeat that person. That is why we do not wish to identify anybody...,” a senior leader of state Congress said on condition of anonymity.

Talk has also begun about projecting a non-congress candidate in the event of the party not getting an absolute majority. The name that has come up is that of M Kodandaram, president of TJS.

On Thursday, the TJS state executive committee met in Hyderabad and decided to propose Kodandaram as chief ministerial candidate of the Maha Kootami (grand alliance), since the Congress has not been able to find a consensus candidate.

“Since almost all alliance partners have agreed to make Kodandaram the chairman or convenor of the Maha Kootami, it’s a good idea if he can be projected as prospective CM candidate...,” said TJS leader B Rachana Reddy.