On July 7 this year, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will complete his three-year term as the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and the search is on for a new leader to take up the mantle.
Moreover, Mr. Reddy assumed office as the Chief Minister of Telangana and as per the Congress policy he would not have another term. With the change imminent several leaders have thrown their hat in the ring and the competition seems to be quite high as the party is in power.
The Congress party’s practice of balancing the social equations in the government and party affairs is crystal clear and given the party’s mood of encouraging the leadership among Backward Classes and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes, the pendulum is swinging towards these groups.
But given his hard work and the desire to have control over the party despite being the Chief Minister, Mr. Revanth Reddy is likely to press for someone with whom his equations are good. In his recent meeting in New Delhi with the party high command he is said to have suggested three names, one each from the BCs, SCs and STs.
The choice may boil down to a Backward Class leader or a leader from the Scheduled Caste, particularly from the Madiga community that demanded a fair share in the MP tickets but could get only one out of the three reserved seats despite they being a higher number compared to the Mala community. However, all three SC seats were bagged by the Congress in the recent Parliament elections. Moreover, the Mala community was awarded the Deputy Chief Minister’s post with senior leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka appointed.
Among the Madigas, former MLA Sampath Kumar is the frontrunner given his experience and party loyalty. He has been making moves in New Delhi given his experience as the AICC secretary incharge for Maharashtra.
Among the BCs, TPCC working president Mahesh Kumar Goud is the front runner along with two-time MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud. Mr. Mahesh Goud has been rewarded with an MLC post recently and this may swing the balance towards Madhu Yaskhi Goud.
However, a senior Reddy leader is not opting out of the race either. Former MLA T. Jagga Reddy is also asking his name to be considered given his strong anti-KCR stand in the last 10 years and his advantage being his personal equations with Rahul Gandhi.
Since the PCC leadership is not ornamental the AICC leadership also looks at various factors, including the popularity, appeal in both the urban and rural areas, acceptance within the party and organisational skills of the leader. The AICC practice has also been to appoint a leader as a check to the Chief Minister.
