Hyderabad, April 18: Dashing hopes of senior Congress leaders including APCC president D Srinivas and former minister Md Ali Shabbir, the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) has cleared two names MS Prabhakar and Kasani Gyaneshwar for the Greater Hyderabad and Rangareddy district MLC elections.
The third seat would be offered to the Majlis Ittehadule- Muslimeen as part of the agreement between the two parties. The elections are scheduled for May 7.
The AICC decision was confirmed by D Srinivas himself here today. Kasani Gnaneshwar was elected to the Legislative Council earlier from the Assembly quota as an independent supported by ten TRS rebel MLAs.
Senior City Congress leader MS Prabhakar is a strong follower of Health minister D Nagendar.
The Congress sources say that after a long gap former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy loyalists were able to impress upon the party high command to get the MLC tickets for their associates.
Dissatisfaction was writ large on the faces of both Srinivas and former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir who have aspired for the tickets. Since the AICC had taken a decision that it would not give tickets to the leaders who have lost in the general elections, both lost their chance. Interestingly both the leaders hail from Nizamabad district.
Both Srinivas and Shabbir desperately aspired to get elected to the council and subsequently get berths in Rosaiah’s Council of Ministers.
They had lobbied hard in New Delhi in the last few days to get the party nomination.
Congress leaders say that the party high command had taken a right decision on the selection of MLC candidates.“The AICC is firm that defeated candidates should not contest and the chance should be given to local leaders for the MLC elections.’’ Speaking to reporters Srinivas said he never aspired for the ticket.
He said Gyaneshwar was a party member and not an outsider. Every body in the party should follow the AICC president’s decision.
–Agencies