Venkateshwarlu Kolishetty Hyderabad

Theruling Congress party announced its Graduate MLC candidates for the Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal and Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubnagar constituencies on Tuesday night. The party announced Ramreddy Sarvotham Reddy as the candidate for the Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal constituency and Sama Rammohan Reddy as the candidate for the Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubnagar constituency.

Giving a surprise to ticket aspirants from the BCs, SCs, STs and minorities, the party gave priority to winning ability rather than social justice.

The party leadership reportedly gave tickets to hardcore Congress loyalists, keeping social justice considerations aside and giving importance to the candidates’ winning ability. Here, winning ability means that both candidates are from the Reddy community. In the six districts, Reddy MLAs are ruling the roost. Keeping this in view, the party gave tickets to Reddy candidates rather than considering social equations.

However, for the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Graduate MLC constituency, the candidate in-charge and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, had shortlisted Patel Ramesh Reddy, Dr Lokesh Yadav, Gutta Amit Reddy, Ramreddy Sarvotham Reddy, Chanagani Dayakar and Ponguleti Prasad Reddy for consideration by the party high command. However, the party high command finalised Ramreddy Sarvotham Reddy.

Similarly, Health Minister Damodara Rajanarsimha, who had overseen the candidate selection for the Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubnagar constituency, had shortlisted Manne Jeevan Reddy, Sama Rammohan Reddy, Gauri Satish, Harshavardhan Reddy, Shivasena Reddy and Bodanapalli Venugopal Reddy. However, the party finalised Sama Rammohan Reddy’s name.

Meanwhile, the two constituencies cover a large geographical area. The Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal constituency comprises 34 Assembly segments, while the Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubnagar constituency covers 53 Assembly segments. Candidates will therefore have to reach out to graduates across a large number of Assembly constituencies and build an extensive campaign network.

Party leaders discussed various combinations while considering the social composition of the candidates. However, the belief among some leaders that both seats should be given to open-category candidates, with representation to BCs being considered later during the selection of Governor-quota MLCs, has become a reality.

Three Governor-quota MLC positions are expected to fall vacant soon, and some party leaders believe that these vacancies could provide an opportunity to address demands for wider social representation.

However, the argument that the party should look within itself for candidates with strong winning prospects from BC, SC, ST and minority communities had not fructified.

The Congress leadership is reportedly attaching considerable importance to the two Graduate MLC elections and is seeking to strengthen its position in the State through the contests. As a result, the selection process concentrated only on the winnability theory rather than the party’s social justice theory.

Anyway, party leaders believe that an early announcement of the candidates would provide adequate time to reach out to graduate voters, establish campaign networks and coordinate with the party’s organisational machinery.

The final decision of the party high command looked at the winning ball instead of the social justice wall.