Municipal Polls: Cong Aspirants Express Angst After Denial of Ticket

 Hyderabad: The Congress braced the rebel storm on Tuesday, the last day for the withdrawal of nominations from the urban civic body elections in the state. The ruling party’s senior leaders spent their energies to convince them to withdraw from the contest in favour of the official candidate.

The Congress leadership, including party working president T. Jagga Reddy, has warned the rebels, who have failed to withdraw from the election, of consequences. Jagga Reddy and PCC president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud warned the rebels with a ‘suspension.”

“In most places the rebels have withdrawn. PCC president Goud has given clear instructions to rebels that they will be suspended,” said a party leader involved in the Congress poll management.

Aspirants who were denied tickets for the municipal polls expressed anguish openly against the local leadership. While some staged sit-in protests, others threatened to resign from the party. Reports suggested disturbance in Jagtial, Wanaparthy, Mancherial and Sanga Reddy

At Jangaon, the Congress aspirants expressed displeasure over handing over a ticket to a CPI leader and vowed to ensure his defeat. They also held a demonstration in front of the Jangaon Assembly constituency in-charge K. Pratap Reddy’s residence over the disputed 11th ward.

Jagtial turned out to be a flashpoint. Former legislator T. Jeevan Reddy expressed his anguish over sidelining the ‘original’ Congress leaders, and his followers held a protest. The rivalry between him and local MLA Sanjay Kumar was out in the open, with the party allegedly allotting maximum tickets to groups representing the legislator.

In the Jagtial district’s Metpally municipality, Congress town president Haritha was denied a ticket after being assured a B-Form by the DCC president. It was alleged that the B-Form, which was supposed to be given to the female leader, was torn off.

“Till morning, I have been reassured of the ticket. I was invited by the DCC president to receive the B-Form, but by the time I arrived, I was told it was already given to another candidate. Is this the way the hardworking party workers are treated?” she asked, while crying uncontrollably.

At Mancherial district’s Bellampalli Municipality, former municipal chairman Suri Babu threatened to quit the party over the denial of a party nomination. He alleged that the in-charges have sold out tickets. At Sangareddy district’s Jinnaram Municipality, a local leader Neelam Latha held a sit-in protest in front of the residence of mandal party president Vadde Krishna over the denial of a ticket.

A peculiar situation was witnessed at the Wanaparthy municipality, when the delay in issuing the B-Form caused two candidates to miss the opportunity. The aspirants Ward 7 and Ward 25 allegedly received the B-form just minutes before 3 pm, but they failed to reach the returning officer before the deadline.