Karimnagar: With the appointment of Mahesh Kumar Goud as the new president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), Congress party politics in the district has picked up pace. Now, the focus is shifting towards who will take up the local district president post.
Many aspirants are trying their best to secure the position after the party leadership decided to bring in new district presidents. The process of selecting the new president is expected to balance social groups, with guidance from senior leaders like BC and Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, IT and Industries Minister Sridhar Babu, and In-charge Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Preference might be given to those who remained loyal to the party even when it wasn’t in power. Dr. Kavvampally Satyanarayana, the current Congress district president from the SC community, was elected as Manakondur MLA. He is likely to be replaced so that he can focus more on his duties as a legislator.
Though the party won three Assembly constituencies under Satyanarayana’s leadership, there is a growing opinion that it is more important for him to dedicate time to his constituency. This has led to the decision to appoint a new district president who can focus on party responsibilities full-time.
Several candidates are vying for the president post. Komati Reddy Padmakar Reddy, the current Congress district working president, TPCC State Secretary Vaidyula Anjan Kumar Yadav, and former district Kisan cell president Patti Krishna Reddy are among those hoping to get the position.
Two senior Congress leaders, Akarapu Bhaskar Reddy and Bomma Sriram Chakravarthy, who left the party in 2019 to join BJP and BRS respectively, have recently returned to Congress. They are also hoping for the post, though their brief departure from the party could be seen as a disadvantage. However, Bhaskar Reddy’s experience as Congress city president and Youth Congress district president may work in his favor.
Another potential candidate is Velichala Rajendra Rao, who contested as the Congress candidate from the Karimnagar Constituency in the recent Parliamentary elections. He is actively in the race for the DCC president post.
Of the candidates in the running, three belong to the Reddy community, two are from the BC community, and one is from the Velama community. It is not yet clear which social group will be given priority. Party sources suggest that the selection process will aim to ensure that all social groups, including those from Jagtial, Peddapalli, and Rajanna Sircilla districts, are represented fairly.