This possible nexus undermines the Congress’ claims of fighting the BJP at every level.
Hyderabad: The Congress high command is worried over reports that its leaders were in collusion with Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in at least two Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. This possible nexus not only hurts the prospects of Congress in these two seats, but also undermines its claims of fighting the BJP at every level. The high command has called for a report from the local party leaders on the alleged nexus in the two seats.
Sources in Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) told this newspaper on Saturday that the high command was concerned over charges that sections of Congress leaders in Nizamabad and Mahabubnagar Lok Sabha seats had worked for the victory of BJP candidates. AICC-in-charge general secretary R.C. Khuntia is in the process of gathering details of the nexus, a senior PCC leader said.
Polling for all the 17 LS seats in Telangana were held on 11 April and Congress is making arrangements for issuing passes for its agents for counting of votes on 23 May. The party leadership had received complaints from sections of the cadre that rival groups had worked for the victory of BJP and that they should not be issued counting passes as it could compromise on the party interests.
The two seats where such complaints had come are—Nizamabad and Mahabubnagar. In Nizamabad, sitting TRS MP K. Kavitha, daughter of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, is locked in a triangular fight with Congress candidate and former MP Madhu Yashki Goud and BJP’s Arvind Dharmapuri, son of expelled TRS Rajya Sabha MP D. Srinivas. Besides there are 182 other candidates in the fray here
Madhu Goud won from here twice, 2004 and 2009, but lost in 2014. He was a loyal supporter of Srinivas. Goud entered politics and got a Congress ticket due to support of Srinivas who was the PCC chief in 2004. However, soon, Goud strained his relations with Srinivas who joined TRS and became a Rajya Sabha member two years ago.
Srinivas’ son Arvind subsequently joined BJP and this led to former’s expulsion from TRS. In the Assembly elections held on 7 December 2018, Srinivas unofficially joined Congress and worked for its candidates. Goud again came into contact with Srinivas during this period. Knowing that Arvind would contest from Nizamabad on BJP ticket, Goud wanted to shift to some other seat, Bhongir.
Goud started canvassing in Bhongir LS seat which has a sizeable population Goud community voters (toddy tappers), but Congress president Rahul Gandhi insisted that he should contest from his original seat, Nizamabad. Goud reluctantly contested from Nizamabad which is a stronghold for TRS and a sort of safe seat for Kavitha.
At one stage, there was no candidate for Congress to take on Kavitha in Nizamabad. Meanwhile, Arvind had done some groundwork in the constituency and won over the support of Goud’s followers, due to his father’s links with them. However, return of Goud to Nizamabad in the last minute created a kind of confusion in the camps of Arvind and Goud.
But, as the polling neared, there was a compromise between the followers of Arvind and Goud that they should avoid split in anti-TRS votes. As Arvind is ahead of Goud here, it was agreed that Congress workers should back BJP’s Arvind in Nizamabad. Around 50-60% of Congress villages had tilted to Arvind’s BJP this time. With this, Goud is likely to finish poor third here, sources said.
Same is the case with Mahabubnagar where former Congress minister D.K. Aruna joined BJP and contested as its candidate in the LS polls. Congress fielded her follower and former MLA Ch. Vamshi Chander Reddy as its nominee to take on TRS candidate M. Srinivas Reddy. Here too, thanks to her long stint in Congress, Aruna won over the support of a majority of its cadre in her fight against TRS.
Mahabubnagar sitting TRS MP and its leader in Lok Sabha AP Jitender Reddy was denied ticket this time, so he, too, joined BJP and worked for the victory of Aruna. There was an agreement between supporters of Aruna and Jitender Reddy that they should work for the defeat of ruling TRS in Mahabubnagar. Vasmi Chander Reddy too remained a helpless witness these underhand deals.
Congress suffered a different kind of underhand deal in Secunderabad seat as its candidate and former MP M. Anjan Kumar Yadav’s supporters are alleged to have backed TRS candidate Talasani Sai Kiran Yadav, son of TRS minister Srinivas Yadav here. BJP senior leader and former MLA G. Kishan Reddy is its candidate in Secunderabad. If the allegations are true, then here, too, Congress may finish poor third.