Congress battles internal dissent over JH bypoll

Hyderabad: The Congress party is grappling with a significant “rebel threat” in the Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election, with fears mounting that a split in the vote could jeopardise its winning prospects. State Congress in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan is now directly engaging with leaders who are disappointed at being overlooked for the party ticket, attempting to secure their support.

In a concerted effort to mitigate internal friction, Natarajan, along with State BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, visited the residence of Anjan Kumar Yadav to convince him to back the official Congress candidate, Naveen Yadav, in the by-election. Yadav appeared reluctant to participate in the election campaign, stating after the meeting that he had stood by the party during difficult times but felt his service had not been recognised.

Another disgruntled leader, Congress corporator C N Reddy, was also reportedly unwilling to campaign for the party’s candidate. Prabhakar and Labour Minister P O Vivek swiftly visited Reddy’s home, where they discussed the challenges facing the party’s bid to win the by-election and appealed to the local leader for his support.

Furthermore, former Borabanda corporator Baba Fasiuddin was requested to set aside his political differences with Naveen Yadav and join the campaign. The ministers assured the local leader of a promising political future, including the potential for a nominated post following the by-election.

Speaking to journalists after the high-level meeting, Ponnam Prabhakar confirmed that former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav had been keen to contest the by-election. However, he explained that the party high command ultimately allotted the ticket to Naveen Yadav based on the “prevailing circumstances.” The BC Welfare Minister asserted that Anjan Kumar has been leading the party in Greater Hyderabad for years. “Anjan Kumar is a senior leader, and he will lead the party in fighting the Jubilee Hills by-election. Congress will win the elections comfortably,” Prabhakar added confidently.