Nagender stares at tough task; begins pacifying sulking netas

Hyderabad: Despite getting all the assurance from the party’s High Command and State leaders of complete support, the Secunderabad candidate Danam Nagender is facing a tough task. With several Congress senior leaders unhappy following the party giving tickets to the outsiders like him, the former Minister began efforts to convince the leaders to support him in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

A day after Chief Minister and PCC chief A Revanth Reddy set the ball rolling by inviting Danam and key leaders mainly those who contested from Congress party ticket in Assembly elections under the Secunderabad parliamentary constituency, the former BRS leader is now optimistic of shifting the gears to his favour. On Monday, he along with PCC general secretary and Nampally’s contested candidate Feroz Khan began holding preparatory meetings with top leaders, including the contested candidates for Assembly under Secunderabad Parliament constituency. He tried to convince the leaders it was possible to win Secunderabad MP seat with all the support from the Congress cadre. In this endeavour he focused on streamlining and drawing strategies to win during the meeting which was attended by booth level partymen.

According to party sources, Danam Nagender will be able to get the much needed support from the voters most of whom are BCs, as the campaign for Lok Sabha begins. However, roping in all the key leaders will help him drum up support both within and outside the party and elevate him to be the top choice amongst different contenders. “He will be able to snatch the votes which earlier went to BRS. But taking into confidence the Congress cadre is key. I believe he will be able to achieve this. Even the detractors like Vijaya Reddy who contested against him in Khairatabad will fall in line and tune with the party’s greater ambitions,” said a senior leader from Sanathnagar.

With Congress giving tickets to turn coats in some constituencies, streamlining the party’s cadre for facing Lok Sabha has become a tough task for the PCC leadership. It is being said that following Sunday’s meeting chaired by Revanth Reddy there should not be an iota of doubt about choices made by the party High command towards achieving the target of 14 seats. Revanth who wanted to ensure that there remains no further foot-dragging within the rank and file of the party, particularly in constituencies where the party has fielded parachute candidates, brought the leaders for clear understanding towards putting up a unified struggle for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.