Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and other senior Congress leaders will interact with party MLAs in Hyderabad on Thursday regarding the preparations for the upcoming MLC elections. The meeting will also be focusing on drawing strategies to win the local body polls, besides resolving internal issues, including the latest issue of ‘secret meeting’ of some party MLAs.

Revanth Reddy will be finalising a strategy to win the three MLC seats in the meeting and entrust the MLAs with the reasonability of mobilising support from all sections. The CM and state AICC in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi along with TPCC president B Maheshkumar Goud will also be meeting the ‘sulking MLAs’.

Four separate meetings will be chaired by the CM with four groups of MLAs each in 1 hour slots. Between 3 pm and 4 pm, the MLAs of Adilabad, Khammam and Nizamabad will meet. From 4.15 pm till 5.15 pm, Karimnagar and Warangal MLAs will be meeting. From 5.30 to 6.30 pm, Nalgonda, Hyderabad and Medak district MLAs and finally from 6.45 to 7.45 pm, Rangareddy and Mahbubnagar MLAs will be meeting. With the BRS deciding not to contest the MLC polls, the Congress will have a direct contest with the BJP which has already announced its candidates.

Polling will be held for Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Graduates’ constituency and Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar and Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Teachers’ constituencies.

While the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Graduates' constituency is held by the Congress, the teachers' constituencies are represented by Independents. The Congress has announced V Narender Reddy as its candidate for the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Graduates' constituency, which is currently represented by senior Congress leader and former minister T Jeevan Reddy.

Reportedly upset by a minister’s disregard for their pleas to clear the pending bills and delay in releasing funds, some party MLAs mostly from the composite districts of Warangal, Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar held a meeting at a hotel without the knowledge of party seniors. This meeting which raised concern amongst the party seniors was hosted by Jadcharla MLA Anirudh Reddy. This was reportedly attended by Nayini Rajender Reddy, Bhoopathi Reddy, Yennam Srinivas Reddy, Murali Nayak, K Rajesh Reddy, Sanjeev Reddy, Donthi Madhav Reddy and Beerla Ilaiah. As the news spread, the state leadership decided to contain the situation. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also discussed the issue with the ministers on February 2, during a meeting in the Command-and-Control office in Banjara Hills.