Will party consider Vijayashanthi if MLAs refuse Mahila Cong chief post?

Hyderabad: The Telangana Congress leadership is keen on appointing a woman MLA as the State Mahila Congress president, but the party is facing reluctance from women legislators to take up the responsibility, sources said.

Recently, the party entrusted key organisational wings to legislators, appointing MLC Shankar Naik as TPCC ST Cell chairman and MLA Kavvampally Sathyanarayana as TPCC SC Cell chairman. It is also learnt that the TPCC BC Cell will soon be handed over to MLA Veerlapally Shankar.

On similar lines, the Congress leadership decided to entrust the State Mahila Congress leadership to a woman MLA to strengthen the organisation to ensure that the party should come to power in the next Assembly elections.

However, women MLAs are reportedly hesitant to accept the post, citing the heavy workload involved. Sources said the position demands extensive touring across the State, leading agitations, and coordinating grassroots-level activities, making it difficult for them to balance constituency responsibilities and family commitments.

The tenure of the current State Mahila Congress president M Sunitha Rao, has already ended, and the party has begun the exercise to fill the vacancy. The Telangana Congress has six women MLAs Nalamada Padmavathi Reddy, Chittem Parnika Reddy, Danasari Anasuya Seethakka, Yashaswini Reddy Mamidala, Matta Ragamayee and Konda Surekha.

Of them, Konda Surekha and Seethakka are currently serving as Ministers. The remaining four--Nalamada Padmavathi Reddy, Chittem Parnika Reddy, Yashaswini Reddy Mamidala and Matta Ragamayee--have reportedly been approached by the party leadership. However, none has shown strong interest in taking up the post, it is learnt.

Sources said the party leadership specifically asked Chittem Parnika Reddy to consider the position, but she has not yet conveyed her decision confidently. Yashaswini Reddy Mamidala is learnt to have clearly informed the leadership that she is not willing to take up the responsibility. The other two--Padmavathi Reddy and Matta Ragamayee--also reportedly expressed their inability to take up the post.

It may be recalled that Padmavathi Reddy had earlier aspired for a Cabinet berth but could not be accommodated, as her husband Uttam Kumar Reddy was inducted as a Minister.

Meanwhile, the party also has another option in the form of its lone woman MLC, Vijayashanthi if it wanted to make an MLA or MLC as the Chief of State Mahila Congress certainly. She has prior organisational experience, having floated and run the Talli Telangana Party. If the MLAs continue to decline the responsibility, Vijayashanthi is a better choice for the party leadership and to approach her, who has not been politically active in recent times.

A senior party leader said that the Mahila Congress would automatically gain strength if Vijayashanthi is appointed as the State Mahila Congress president as she has leadership qualities and excellent oratory skills besides film glamour.

However, the party’s internal equations and final stand on Vijayashanthi’s case are not known. It is also not known yet whether Vijayashanthi is interested in taking up the new responsibility at this juncture.

Despite the reluctance of MLAs, the Congress leadership is continuing its efforts to persuade at least one woman MLA to accept the position, considering the strengthening of the Mahila Congress crucial for improving the party’s prospects in the 2029 Assembly elections.