Hyderabad: Expressing serious concern at reports that infighting within the party and among cabinet ministers was denting its image, the Congress high command instructed Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud to strive for winning the by-election to Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency and strengthen the party ahead of the local body elections. It was a veiled message to the state unit to put its house in order.

Apart from concentrating on the appointment of new DCC presidents, K C Venugopal urged the CM and TPCC president to focus more on strengthening the party at the grassroots level.

This was the crux of the meeting the Telangana big two had with Venugopal and state Congress in charge Meenakshi Natarajan. The two briefed them about the political developments in the state and the party’s preparedness to defeat the BRS and clinch the Jubilee Hills seat. Goud informed the high command that the AIMIM support and the mass following of Congress candidate Naveen Yadav would work to the advantage of Congress, he said.

The issue of disqualification of the 10 defected BRS MLAs and their hearing by the Assembly Speaker to submit a report before October 30 was also discussed in the meeting.

Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Goud and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that DCC posts would be given only to those who were working hard for the party and were without any posts in the government. As the number of aspirants for DCC chief posts was quite high, the party high command was analysing the performance and leadership qualities of each applicant. The feedback given by the state Congress unit and AICC observers will be taken into consideration before names are finalised for the DCC president posts. The first list of the DCC presidents will be released next week. Meanwhile, members from the BC communities will be given priority in the selection of the DCC president posts as the Congress was already demanding 42 per cent BC reservation in the local bodies.

The CM also informed the party leadership about the government and Congress party’s preparedness to go for local body elections soon after the announcement of the Jubilee Hills by-election results.