Congress Gears Up For Poll, Plans MGNREGA Protest

Hyderabad: The ruling Congress has begun preparations for the upcoming municipal elections, likely to be held in February, with the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) convening an extended executive committee meeting at Gandhi Bhavan on Thursday to chart out its electoral and organisational strategy. The meeting will also deliberate on a nationwide protest against the Centre’s decision to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the newly proposed VB‑GRAM G Act.

The meeting will be attended by AICC Telangana in‑charge Meenakshi Natarajan, TPCC president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud and several senior party leaders. There is, however, no official confirmation on the participation of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, though party circles are abuzz with speculation that he may attend.

Buoyed by its performance in the recent Gram Panchayat elections held in December 2025, where the Congress claimed success in nearly 66 per cent of the panchayats, the party is keen to consolidate its position in urban local bodies. While the Gram Panchayat polls were conducted on a non‑party basis, the municipal elections will be held on party symbols, raising the political stakes for the ruling party. Elections are due for 117 municipalities and six corporations across the State, and the Congress leadership views the exercise as crucial to reasserting its political dominance.

Selection of candidates is expected to be a major focus of the meeting. The TPCC leadership plans to adopt a structured and transparent process by inviting applications from aspirants, conducting rigorous screening and finalising nominees based on detailed local survey reports to ensure winnability and grassroots acceptance.

Another key agenda item will be the launch of “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram,” a nationwide agitation scheduled to begin on January 10 in protest against the Centre’s move to replace the employment guarantee scheme. The Congress has strongly criticised the decision, accusing the BJP‑led Centre of attempting to erase Mahatma Gandhi’s name from a landmark welfare programme and describing it as a deliberate and conspiratorial act.

The meeting will also stress the need for strengthening the organisation at the grassroots. TPCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud has issued a stern ultimatum to District Congress Committee presidents to finalise their executive committees and submit detailed reports to the TPCC by January 8. Appointments of Mandal Congress presidents are to be finalised by January 15.