Though both Congress and BJP have announced their candidates for all 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana, the ruling Congress is struggling hard in the selection process. Till now it announced candidates only for 13 constituencies in three phases and still to announce for the remaining 4 constituencies.
Intense internal bickering is said to be the main reason for delay in selection of candidates. In seats like Khammam, said to be a strong hold to Congress, also it is unable to arrive for a decision.
Congress circles are criticising that mostly the party fielding candidates from upper castes, ignoring the claims of backward classes, thus `social justice’ is completely bypassed. Moreover, turncoats and those who joined the party during the last one or two weeks are getting preferential treatment.
This apart, there is dissent among a few sections over the filling up of nominated posts. Amidst all these issues, the Congress is yet to announce candidates for the eight constituencies of Khammam, Karimnagar, Warangal and Hyderabad.
Atleast three candidates, Sunitha Mahender Reddy (Medchal Malkajgiri), Danam Nagender (Secunderabad) and Ranjith Reddy (Chevella) were awarded party candidatures soon after their joining the party from BRS. Already, leaders within the Congress have raised objections over turncoats being given prominence in allotment of tickets.
A few have even questioned the rationale behind allotting more tickets to a few families within the party. After the MRPS and the Telangana Muslims Joint Action Committee openly criticized the Congress for favouring a few community leaders and for being biased towards others, the CPI state unit is also demanding the Congress to allot at least one seat under the alliance.
In this context, the Telangana Congress is struggling hard to strike a balance with all sections by nominating candidates from different communities. Among the 17 constituencies, three are reserved for SC, two for ST and the rest for General categories.
