Cracks appeared to have developed in the grand alliance of four parties led by Congress as one of its partners — Telangana Jana Samithi — unilaterally released on Wednesday a list of 12 constituencies where it wanted to contest.
Interestingly, TJS president M. Kodandaram was not present at the press conference where the list was released. However, P. L. Visweswara Rao and Venkat Reddy, who addressed the meeting, said the list had the approval of Mr. Kodandaram. Notwithstanding the unilateral decision the TJS will continue in the alliance, they said.
Also, the Congress and another alliance partner Telugu Desam have already announced their candidates for three constituencies which were listed by the TJS. The overlap pertained to Asifabad, Station Ghanpur and Mahabubnagar constituencies. While the Congress took the first two constituencies, Mahabubnagar went to TDP where the party announced the candidature of former MLA Erra Sekhar.
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The constituencies announced by TJS were: Dubbak, Medak, Malkajgiri, Amberpet, Warangal (East), Mahabubnagar, Miryalguda, Siddipet, Jangaon, Asifabad, Station Ghanpur and Wardhannapet.
CPI candidates
The CPI, also a partner, announced its candidates for the three seats it was allotted in seat sharing by the alliance. They included State secretary of the party Chada Venkat Reddy (Husnabad), Banoth Vijaya Bai (Wyra) and Gunda Mallesh (Bellampally).
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Mr. Venkat Reddy said the party had given up its claim on two more seats though it had adopted a resolution that it will not agree to anything short of five seats. Otherwise, the CPI also wanted to contest from Kothagudem and either Devarakonda or Munugode.
Pressure tactic
Sources said the release of list of constituencies by the TJS was either to mount pressure on Congress or appease ticket aspirants of the former party.
The TJS nursed a grouse against the Congress that it had not not given a clear picture on the constituencies that it would get to contest even though the filing of nominations had commenced. In this background, the TJS on Wednesday morning served an ultimatum, through a press release, on the Congress to declare its seats by the evening. In the absence of a response, the TJS went ahead with its list.
They added that the Congress had already given feelers that it would put up candidates at Asifabad, Station Ghanpur and Warangal (East) in a friendly contest with the TJS. But, all three seats and nine more were already communicated to the Congress by the TJS. The TJS restricted itself to 12 seats after filtering a list of 17 seats but the Congress indicated conceding only eight seats.