HYDERABAD: Following a crushing defeat in the recent Munugode bypoll, top PCC leaders convened a review meeting on Tuesday, urging the state Congress leadership to send a report to newly elected party president Mallikarjun Kharge on the factors that contributed to the defeat and the steps that should be taken to strengthen the party.
According to party sources, former PCC president V. Hanumantha Rao, former vice-chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority Marri Shashidhar Reddy, vice-chairman of the AICC Kisan Congress M. Kodanda Reddy, former MLC B. Kamalakar Rao, PCC senior vice-president G. Niranjan, and chairman of the TPCC Intellectuals Cell A. Shyam Mohan attended the meeting.
The leaders discussed why the Congress’s traditional vote bank has shifted to other political parties and why the party has been losing deposits in several byelections held in the state. “There should be some reflection. Our intention is solely to strengthen the party so that the Congress does not face a situation like Munugode or Huzurabad, especially now that the TD is regaining strength in the state," one of the seniors told Deccan Chronicle.
The meeting was primarily focused on the steps to be taken for the strengthening of the party, as well as an action plan for the coordinated efforts of the party leaders and cadre in this direction. It was suggested that if the suggestions made by the forum earlier for gaining public trust had been taken into account when making organisational changes, political prospects for the party would have been much better.
Party leaders felt that defeat after defeat was affecting the morale of the cadre and providing fodder for the TRS and BJP's vicious propaganda that the Congress was on the brink of extinction. "It will be difficult to achieve the desired results in the 2023 Assembly elections unless we accept the flaws with sincerity and honesty and take corrective measures," the leader added.
