The Congress' coordination committee cleared the names of candidates for 15 of the 18 Assembly constituencies where by-elections are scheduled on June 12. Consensus was reached with regard to 15 candidates at a two-hour-long meeting of the coordination committee held at the Chief Minister's camp office and attended, among others, significantly by Union Minister and AICC in charge of the State, Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Sources said the meeting could not decide on the candidates for Rayachoti, Anantapur and Parkal constituencies. Though it had shortlisted some candidates, there was a general perception that candidates from the BC or Minority communities could be considered for Rayachoti and Anantapur constituency. In Parkal, the party was undecided on whether it should field a Reddy or a BC.
The meeting sorted out differences over the list of candidates already shortlisted by the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC). The delay in finalising the party's contestants is being attributed to serious objections raised by some district units of the party against the shortlisted candidates.
Mr. Azad is said to have advised the party leaders, particularly Ministers and other key functionaries, to sink their differences and work for the success of the party candidates. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana, Deputy Chief Minister C. Damodar Rajanarasimha, MPs Kavuri Sambasiva Rao and K. Chiranjeevi, former PCC chief D. Srinivas and former Minister Md. Shabbir Ali participated in the meeting aimed at reviewing the party's preparedness for the by-elections besides finalising the candidates.
