Municipal Polls: Screening Committees To Begin Candidate Selection Process
Panels set up as municipal election notification nears
Hyderabad: With the notification for municipal elections likely within a couple of days, the screening committees of the Congress are all set to begin the process of shortlisting probable candidates.
The committees — formed for each Lok Sabha constituency — will be chaired by the in-charge minister, while the DCC presidents will serve as convenors. The panel will have MPs, MLAs, party contestants from previous polls, and senior leaders as members.
Besides ministers, one government advisor has been designated for 15 Lok Sabha constituencies where polls are likely to be held in February. “We have already started making efforts in this direction. Moreover, Uttam Kumar Reddy also made it clear that the notification was just a few days away, so we need to get ready. Once the Medaram Jatara is completed, the in-charge minister will also have increased focus on the meetings,” said a DCC president, on condition of anonymity.
However, in the constituencies, where the DCC presidents and ministers are political rivals, screening committees have not met yet.
“You know how things work. These panels are only on paper, and when it comes to decision, the ministers will have the final say. They hold the key to the selection of candidates. Our place is known as the party’s stronghold, but the bitter rivalry is an open secret,” said another DCC president, explaining the state of affairs in his district.
Meanwhile, AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan and TPCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud will undertake the ‘MGNREGA Job Card Holders Grama Sabha’ from March 28 to 31 in Medak, Karimnagar, Rajanna Sircilla, Yadadri Bhongir and Nalgonda districts.
The three-day MGNREGA Bachao Sangram Yatra, organised by the Hyderabad DCC in the city, concluded on Monday with a final rally held from Nalgonda X Road to TV Tower, Moosarambagh. The yatra began on January 24 and covered major Assembly segments in Hyderabad, including Charminar, Yakutpura, Bahadurpura, Chandrayangutta and Malakpet.
“Over the past three days, we have taken our message directly to the people. MGNREGA is not a favour but a constitutional right. We will not allow it to be dismantled by turning it into a contractor-driven scheme controlled from Delhi,” Hyderabad DCC president Syed Khalid Saifullah stated.
