AICC central election committee (CEC) on Friday is understood to have approved the names of 60 candidates for the Assembly elections to Telangana amid high expectations and suspense over, who gets the nod for the tickets.
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The remaining names are likely to be considered and approved once AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is touring Karnataka, returns to New Delhi.
Congress sources said the screening committee headed by MP Muralidharan and others held a meeting on Friday morning and gave the go ahead to the list they had prepared. The same was put before the CEC which, according to sources approved 60 names. Most of these are constituencies where the screening committee had recommended single names.
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Indications given by the leaders is that the list may be announced before the launch of the bus yatra by the Congress leaders. But, it is understood that the list will only be out after the yatra to avoid trouble.
It may be mentioned here that the issue of old timers and seniors aspiring for the tickets coupled with defectors from other parties and some new comers eyeing the tickets is adding to the confusion and heartburn. The screening committee meetings in the last few weeks have seen fireworks and strong objections.
Speaking to reporters on Friday evening, TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy said that Congress party will give more seats to backward classes. “We will give more seats to the BC’s than what BRS has given,” he said adding that the list will prove that the party is committed to the Udaipur Declaration.
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He alleged that the BRS government was trying to terrorise the Congress leaders, sympathisers and well wishers. They are hand in glove with the BJP government and instigating the ED and other enforcement agencies to conduct raids on our well wishers. “We will lodge a complaint with the EC and not hesitate to knock the doors of judiciary if such witch hunting does not stop immediately,” he said.
He reiterated that Congress will come to power with more than 75 seats and at a colourful function in December first week after the results, in the presence of Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress government would sign the first file on six guarantees.
Bus yatra
On bus yatra, he said it will surely be undertaken and added that based on the convenience of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and others, they would join the bus yatra. Sources said the yatra would commence from Kondagattu in Jagtial district cover Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Zaheerabad parliamentary constituencies in the first phase.