An interesting fight is on in the Congress for securing candidature for MLC seat..
Former PCC president D. Srinivas who completed his term as MLC recently, and his disciple and former Mahila Congress president Akula Lalitha Raghavender, are vying with each other for the blessings of party high command to contest for the post. According to reliable sources in the party, the leadership this time is eager to field a woman candidate and in that case, Ms. Lalitha might have good chances as she efficiently served as Mahila Congress president twice for unified Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
There is an impression in the party that she was meted out injustice by denying the opportunity to contest in the last general elections either from Dichpally (now Nizamabad rural), which she held once with the by-election in 2008, and from Nizamabad urban. They said that the party leadership made Nerella Sarada as Mahila Congress president replacing Ms. Lalitha only to announce the latter’s candidature for the MLC election.
Ms. Lalitha has always proclaimed an unswerving loyalty to the party and its high command. Rising from the grassroots, she served as MPTC and ZPTC before being elected MLA. She actively participated in all party programmes and earned an image of non-controversial leader. She was among a few leaders who could walk along with Rahul Gandhi in his padayatra in Adilabad for the entire 16 kilometre stretch braving blistering sun on Friday. A top Congress functionary said that the party high command is in her favour as it wants to field a woman candidate.
On the other hand, Mr. Srinivas, being a senior leader and who served twice as PCC president, has sympathy of party president Sonia Gandhi. “If madam decides the candidature, he may have bright chances, and if it comes to the choice of Mr. Gandhi, he may favour a woman candidate,” said a senior Congress leader.
