Congress experiences BC conundrum ahead of Telangana Assembly Elections; KTR invites Ponnala to join BRS

Hyderabad: Congress which is making efforts to regain its lost ground in Telangana in the November 30 polls appears to be experiencing a Backward Classes(BC) conundrum.

This comes at a time when the Congress has been trying to test OBC caste gambit in the upcoming polls to five states and later take the narrative to Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

While Telangana BC leaders have been demanding a big chunk of tickets proportionate to the population in the ensuing assembly polls, repeated assertion from the party leadership that only ‘winning horses’ as per internal surveys will be given tickets is making them feel nervous and jittery.

In the past too, not many BC leaders have won from Congress. As per the decades old trend this time as well the Reddys who form six per cent of Telangana's population are likely to secure majority tickets in Congress.  The ruling BRS president, K Chandrsekhar Rao has fielded 40 Reddys as well.

An informal grouping ‘team OBC Congress’ has been holding internal meetings and has also tried to meet AICC leadership to press their demand. However, they were initially snubbed by the party’s central leadership who asked them not to visit Delhi in large groups during such crucial times.

However, the central leadership had allowed a delegation of Kamma leaders to meet them in Delhi. Such a snub to BC leaders by party leadership was cited by former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah in his resignation letter on Friday.

BC leaders in the party had also planned a day long satya graham deeksha to bring pressure on the party leadership for majority tickets. The deeksha was later called off at the last minute after intervention from the party senior leaders from Delhi who invited them for a meeting.

Ruling BRS had already announced 23 seats in the 119 assembly segments in Telangana to BCs. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief A Revanth Reddy in the past put forth a proposal to allot at least two seats in each of the 17 Lok Sabha segments to the BC leaders which comes to 34.

However, BC leaders in the Congress have been demanding at least 50 seats for themselves.

“The political affairs committee of Telangana Congress had officially passed a resolution that BCs be given two tickets from each parliament segment. We are only reiterating it. In the past polls not just BC leaders but also Reddy leaders too lost. Our effort is only in the larger interest of Congress to secure major seats and form the government. Since, the BC population is majority, we are seeking more seats that would ensure Congress win in Telangana,” former MP and Congress BC leader, Ponnam Prabhakar told DH.  

Currently there are 21 MLAs from Backward Classes in Telangana and in the last polls in 2018, Congress had allotted around 24 seats to BCs. This time there are high expectations from Congress.

In 2014, Congress allotted around 32 seats to BCs. Of the119 Assembly seats in Telangana, 31 are reserved for SCs and STs.

KTR invites Ponnala to join BRS

BRS working president and state industries minister K T Rama Rao on Saturday invited former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah to join the ruling BRS and work with KCR.

KTR visited Lakshmaiah’s residence in Hyderabad and personally invited him to join BRS. Lakshmaiah, a prominent BC face of Congress had quit the party citing humiliation on Friday.

Lakshmaiah is expected to meet KCR in a day or two and officially announce his joining the ruling BRS. “I invited him to join BRS to work for the development of Telangana,” KTR told reporters after meeting Lakshmaiah.

The former Congress leader is likely to contest from Janagaon assembly segment on the ruling BRS ticket.