Jagga Reddy vies for Telangana Congress chief post, writes to leadership in Delhi

Congress MLA from Sangareddy, T Jayaprakash ‘Jagga’ Reddy, has thrown his hat into the ring as a contender, for the post of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he informed them that he had sent his bio-data to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in New Delhi, with a request to be considered for leading the party in Telangana. This, ahead of a proposed party meeting on November 16, which will include all top leaders of the Congress in Delhi. Jagga Reddy said that he should be given the chance, whenever present TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy steps down, as he had worked in the BJP, TRS and Congress, and knew how to face the parties. He added that he had a 'medicine' to revive the Congress party in the state. He also said that he would visit New Delhi soon to meet AICC ad-hoc president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. While Jagga Reddy is the first to officially announce that he was contending for the post, lobbying is already underway by other leaders who are keen for the spot, including Malkajgiri MP A Revanth Reddy, Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkata Reddy and senior leader V Hanumantha Rao. Other leaders including Madhu Yaskhi Goud and Marri Shashidhar Reddy are also said to be eyeing the post. Both Uttam Kumar Reddy, who is presently the MP from Nalgonda, and All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Telangana RC Khuntia, are facing dissent from leaders of the TPCC. Many complain that their style of functioning led to the party's crushing defeat in the Assembly elections in December last year and other successive defeats since then. The Congress, which won 19 seats in the Telangana Assembly elections held in December last year, has since lost 12 of its MLAs to the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). This has left the party battered, and the leaders and cadre demoralised. Read: Dissent brewing in Telangana Congress? Leaders upset with state Chief Uttam Kumar