Congress takes to rebel troubleshooting in Telangana

•  Several rebels file nominations without party approval, marking protest
•  Withdrawal deadline is Nov 15, Cong intensifies efforts to retain control
•  Party leaders identify rebel leaders, speak directly to resolve issues
•  Rebel candidates assured of nominated posts upon Cong coming to power
•  Constituencies like Surapet challenge party in wake of development

Hyderabad: To minimise chances of 'rebel trouble' that could dent the Congress party's winning prospects in different Assembly constituencies, AICC (TS) incharge Manikrao Thakre held talks with dissenting partymen to convince them to withdraw nominations. In close to a dozen Assembly segments, rebels have filed nominations without the party's approval and, as a mark of protest, for not conferring B-forms to them.

As the last date for withdrawal is November 15, the Congress party, which has been trying to convince the dissenting voices, has sped up its efforts. The leadership decided to identify the leaders who filed nominations and started speaking to them directly. On Tuesday, ManikraoThakre, along with PCC working president B Mahesh Kumar Yadav, invited the rebel candidates to MLA quarters and explained to them the pros and cons of sticking to their guns. Some of the leaders were also assured that they would be offered nominated posts once the Congress came to power.

The constituencies of Suryapet, Adilabad, Narsapur, Ibrahimpatnam, Dornakal, Jukkal, Banswada, Sircilla, Boath, Warangal (West), Wyra, and Palakurthy have turned out to be challenges in the wake of the development. For instance, in Boath, Vannela Ashok, who was first nominated, was replaced later by Ade Gajender. Furious over the development, Ashok filed a nomination. In Jukkal, Thota Laxmi Kantha Rao was given a ticket, while S Gangaram, who was hopeful, turned rebel. In Banswada, the party chose Eanugu Ravinder Reddy, and to counter him, KasulaBalaraju turned rebel. For Sircilla, K Karuna Mahender Reddy was officially named by the party, but Umesh Rao stood against him in the poll fray. In Dornakal, J Ramachandru Naik was chosen, but Nehru Naik also filed his nomination against the party's wishes. In Suryapet, RamreddyDamodar Reddy was given a ticket, but Patel Ramesh Reddy turned rebellious. Some other rebel candidates are Sanjeev Reddy (Adilabad), who has the backing of some important local leaders, including Sajid Khan and Gandra Sujatha. While in Boath, Naresh Jadav also filed a nomination as a second rebel. From Warangal (W), Janga Raghava Reddy filed a nomination but was rejected by the Election Commission. From Palakurthy, Laxman Naik and Sudhakar Goud both filed nominations, and from Banswada, K Balaraju is a rebel.

While all these leaders were invited to the city and were asked to withdraw their nominations by the last date, except Ramesh Reddy of Suryapet, who was telephoned to convey the party's message, as he did not turn up.