Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy, who is currently in the US, held an online meeting on Saturday with AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka, and ministers. During the meeting, he directed them to issue B-Forms to candidates with the highest winning prospects as per surveys.Revanth set a target of winning at least 90% of the seats in the municipal elections. He told party leaders that the elections should be taken seriously and asked them to work as a team, as they did during the Jubilee Hills bypoll. He said mistakes committed during the panchayat elections should not be repeated in the municipal polls and stressed that the candidates being finalised should enjoy greater public support and confidence than those being fielded by the BRS and BJP.
He said winning every division and every ward was important and asked leaders to engage with rebels and ensure they withdraw from the electoral fray. He also called for special attention to municipalities where the party is weak and said there should be no gap between constituency in-charges and ministers.Revanth asked party leaders not to finalise mayor, deputy mayor, and chairperson candidates, stating that several factors, including caste, social justice, and other equations, need to be taken into consideration. Though mayoral candidates have been announced in some ULBs such as Nalgonda, he said a final decision would be taken only after the results are announced.The CM is expected to return to the city from the US on Sunday night or in the early hours of Monday. He is likely to launch his campaign on Feb 3 or Feb 4. In another related development, revenue and housing minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Saturday said the Feb 11 municipal elections should be seen as a referendum on the two years of Congress’ governance. He described the polls as semi-finals and claimed the Congress faced no real competition from any party.He said the people had given a significant victory to the Congress in the panchayat elections and would continue to bless the party in the municipal elections too. He added that the Congress was issuing tickets only to those who work closely and harmoniously with the people, and that the party’s doors were always open to those willing to join. Ponguleti said BRS leaders had described the Jubilee Hills bypoll as a referendum on the Congress govt’s two-year rule, but were humiliated after being rejected by the people.He conducted an extensive campaign on Saturday for the victory of Congress candidates. Starting from Edulapuram in the Palair constituency, he conducted a whirlwind tour of Thorrur, Wardhannapet, and Jangaon municipalities in Mahabubabad district.He said the govt was moving forward with the welfare of the poor as its objective and claimed that all promises were being fulfilled one after the other. He cited the Indiramma housing scheme, free bus travel to women, gas cylinders for Rs 500, and 200 units of free electricity as schemes being implemented on the ground level, calling them proof of the Congress govt’s commitment.He said improving infrastructure in urban areas, strengthening the drainage system, and speeding up civic services were possible only with the victory of Congress candidates. He claimed Congress cadres were working in coordination and that a clean sweep in these elections was certain. Ponguleti said he would adopt the Thorrur municipality and develop it on par with his own Palair constituency, and promised to work to ensure that all welfare schemes of the state govt reach the people.
