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Cong high command orders internal probe into party's MLC poll debacle

A day after the results of the Legislative Council graduate constituency election were announced, the Congress high command has directed TPCC to submit a detailed report on the party’s poor performance. The high command has also initiated an independent inquiry into the debacle by dispatching two AICC secretaries, P. Viswanathan and P.C. Vishnunadh, on Thursday.

HYDERABAD: A day after the results of the Legislative Council graduate constituency election were announced, the Congress high command has directed TPCC to submit a detailed report on the party’s poor performance. The high command has also initiated an independent inquiry into the debacle by dispatching two AICC secretaries, P. Viswanathan and P.C. Vishnunadh, on Thursday.


The two were straightaway engaged with approximately 48 TPCC leaders, gathering feedback on the reasons behind the party’s defeat. The secretaries held one-on-one meetings with TPCC leaders, seeking their perspectives on how the Congress lost its seat to the BJP despite being in power.
AICC state in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan has also been asked to conduct a review meeting and submit a report on the electoral loss. Notably, Congress had won the Graduate MLC seat in 2019 while in opposition but had failed to retain it despite being in power.
According to party sources, most TPCC leaders attributed the defeat to delays in the selection of candidates and a last-minute change in the candidate. The BJP announced its Graduate MLC candidate on January 11, while the Congress did so on February 1. This delay, they opined, gave the BJP a head start in campaigning and voter outreach.
Furthermore, party leaders pointed out that Prasanna Harikrishna, who was engaged with voters for months together, was widely expected to be the candidate. However, the state leadership instead chose Narender Reddy, a decision that reportedly did not sit well with the electorate.

Stung by the rebuke, Harikrishna secured a BSP ticket and contested the election independently, securing around 60,000 votes. He significantly split the Congress vote bank, the leaders opined.
The Congress high command is now assessing these factors to draw strategies for future elections.


( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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