Senior Cong leaders Aspiring For LS polls in Telangana

Hyderabad: Putting the defeat in the assembly elections behind, the Congress in Telangana is gearing up for the coming Lok Sabha polls, with several senior leaders evincing interest to contest.

Congress had accepted applications from those aspiring for party tickets this month and the exercise has seen a number of leaders seeking to throw their hats into the ring, party sources said on Monday.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader M Bhatti Vikramarka had said the party would like to finalise the candidates for the Lok Sabha candidates by this month-end.

The Congress last week organised a session with party leaders from the grass-roots level for three days on the way ahead for Lok Sabha polls.

Among others, former MP V Hanumantha Rao, who had served as PCC president in undivided Andhra Pradesh, has sought a ticket from Khammam Lok Sabha constituency.

Former union minister Renuka Chowdary, who had represented Khammam earlier, is also reportedly interested to contest again. She had recently held a meeting with her supporters here.

Interestingly, Congress MLC P Sudhakar Reddy, a former secretary of AICC, had invited the party chief Rahul Gandhi to contest from Khammam.

Though Congress put up a dismal performance in the December 7 assembly polls winning only 19 of total 119 seats, it had fared well in the Khammam region.

It remains to be seen whether former union minister and senior leader S Jaipal Reddy would contest the polls and from where.

Former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin, who is now a working president of the state Congress, is also expected to enter the fray. He had earlier won as a Congress candidate from Uttar Pradesh.

Though the party has left a decision on alliances to the high command, it would like to field candidates in all 17 constituencies in the Lok Sabha polls, party sources said.

The Congress had contested the assembly elections in alliance with TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti which came a cropper.

"Brainstorming sessions held in the last three days have proved that all the Congress cadres were rejuvenated to win the Lok Sabha elections," Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Sunday.

There would be no KCR (Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) or TRS factor in the coming Lok Sabha elections as it was about electing the Prime Minister, Reddy had said claiming that the party would win most of the 17 seats in the state.

It will be a vote to elect the next Prime Minister and people would certainly prefer Congress president Rahul Gandhi over BJP's (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, Reddy had said. (PTI)

Also Read: Lok Sabha Polls In Telangana A Fight Between Congress And BJP: Uttam Kumar