Telangana Congress unit authorises party high command to finalise Rajya Sabha candidates

Hyderabad: The Pradesh Election Committee of the Congress' Telangana unit has passed a resolution authorising party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to finalise its candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections to fill three vacancies from the state.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting on Tuesday, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who is also the Congress' Telangana unit president, said a unanimous resolution was passed authorising Kharge and the party's Central Election Committee to finalise the candidates.

The meeting, attended by Deepa Dasmunshi -- the All India Congress Committee's (AICC) Telangana in-charge -- and other leaders, discussed the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha elections and finalised an action plan, he said.

Elections will be held to fill three vacancies in the Rajya Sabha from Telangana.

Reddy said applications from probable candidates for the Lok Sabha polls will be accepted at Gandhi Bhavan, the party's headquarters in the state.

Telangana has 17 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress is likely to finalise the candidates for the Lok Sabha polls by February 15, Reddy told PTI.

He also said that the party aims to win all 17 seats in the state.

Reddy said, "We don't see any difference between the BJP and the BRS. They are one and the same."

The Chief Minister further announced that the state government will conduct a caste survey, as announced earlier, and a resolution on this will be shortly passed in the Assembly.

"We will conduct a BC (Backward Classes) caste census. It is Rahul Gandhi's commitment," he said.