New Delhi: Congress president Mr. Rahul Gandhi on Friday constituted a screening committee for poll-bound Telangana. He also cleared the appointment of nine new AICC secretaries.
Senior Congress leader Mr. Bhakt Charan Dass is the chairperson of Telangana Screening committee, while Jothimani Sennimalai and Sharmistha Mukherjee have been made panel members.
Mr. Gandhi also held a meeting of the party leaders from Telangana. The meeting was organised to discuss preparedness for the upcoming Telangana assembly elections and to probe alliance possibilities with Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Mr. Gandhi met the party leaders individually and addressed the me-eting saying that alliance with TDP, Communist Party of India and Telan-gana Jana Samithi (TJP) should be explored keeping the interest of the Congress in mind. Mr. Gandhi further added that Congress should not sacrifice seats the party is confident of winning, while discussing the seat-sharing formula.
Many leaders from Telangana are of the view that TDP shouldn’t be given more seats as the party does not have a strong cadre base or vote bank now that the state of Andhra Pradesh has been bifurcated.
During the meeting, Mr Gandhi spoke with at least 40 members, infor-med senior Congress leader S. Jaipal Reddy. “The session makes a good beginning for the election campaign,” said Mr Reddy.
Speaking on the possibility of alliances, Mr Reddy said, “We are not opposed to alliances per se. With whom and to what degree, these are two questions that are yet to be decided.”
The Congress also appointed Nana Patole, a former MP, as chairman of the Kisan Khet Mazdoor (farmers-farm labourers) Congress, with immediate effect.
