TPCC all set for total overhaul

Hyderabad: Upset over the unprecedented debacle of the party in the just concluded elections in Telangana, AICC president Sonia Gandhi is learnt to have decided to go in for a thorough revamp of the party and scout for leaders who can effectively take on K Chandrasekhar Rao in the Assembly. She is also on the lookout for someone who can revive the fortunes of the party in the new State. Senior Congress told The Hans India that the party leadership had expressed its unhappiness over the state leaders who had misled the AICC on the impact of bifurcation of the state. Add to this, the leaders failed to convert an opportunity into an advantage and encash on T sentiment. They feel that it is a wrong decision to appoint Ponnala Lakshmaiah as the TPCC president. Both Ponnala and working president Uttam Kumar Reddy have failed to ensure proper coordination for the party victory, they observe.

The high command has arrived at the conclusion that it was lack of political and poll strategy, failure to take up effective campaign that led to near decimation of the party, and hence the decision to revamp the party set-up in the new State. Sonia Gandhi was said to have expressed her ire with the leaders who confined themselves to their constituencies instead of taking up a joint and mass campaign in the region. Even the TDP which was considered to have lost its ground in the region won almost as many seats as the Congress.

According to top state party leaders, the party high command is seriously thinking to replace the present TPCC chief with a person who can display nerve and verve to take on KCR in the Assembly as well as in the political arena. This has triggered competition for the two key posts of TPCC president and the leader of opposition and leaders have started throw their hats into the ring. Prominent among them are DK Aruna, who is an extrovert and has strong oratory skills, and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, who is known to be a mass leader and with a good base across the region. They have emerged as the front-runners for the two key party posts in the State.

Though senior leader K Jana Reddy is also trying hard to get either of the posts, the high command does not appear to be keen on his name because of his poor communication skills, said some leaders who are in the know of things.