Hyderabad, February 28: Hopes of several Congress leaders aspiring for a Legislative Council seat may not fructify as the central leadership is said to be averse to consider their names for next month’s election to fill the vacancies. This disinclination may mar the chances of even APCC president D. Srinivas, former Speaker K.R.Suresh Reddy and former Minister Md. Ali Shabbir. The issue is said to have cropped up at a meeting the Chief Minister had with AICC president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel on Sunday evening in New Delhi.
Amid intense lobbying and threat of independents sabotaging the chances of the Congress in the polls, Mr. Reddy met Mr. Patel to get clearance for the list of candidates. During the meeting, the Chief Minister is believed to have submitted a list of 30 probables for the LAC as well as those to be elected by the MLAs. Many outgoing MLCs elected from the Assembly and nominated by the Governor are seeking re-nomination. Meanwhile, the APCC president met the Chief Minister at the camp office on Sunday night before his scheduled visit to New Delhi on Monday. They reportedly discussed the party’s preparedness for the Council polls.
The selection of candidates had turned tricky as rebel Congress MLAs loyal to former MP Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy threatened to put up independent candidates for the Local Authorities Constituencies.
-Agencies