Cong to contest Banswada by-polls

The Congress has more or less decided to contest the Banswada byelection despite an appeal by the Telangana Congress Steering Committee leaders to the party high command to leave the seat uncontested.
The Congress decided to field a candidate as it is afraid that if it leaves the seat uncontested, there is a possibility of the party workers migrating to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy discussed pros and cons of not fielding a candidate for Banswada bypoll with PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana, major irrigation minister B Sudarshan Reddy who hails from Nizamabad district, and backward classes welfare minister B Saraiah who is in-charge of the district. He reportedly favoured contesting the bypoll. They, however, wanted to convey their decision to the party high command so that it could take a final decision on it.

The seat was vacated by Pocharam Srinivas Reddy who won the seat on TDP ticket. After quitting the seat for the cause of Telangana, he joined the TRS. Ever since the Election Commission notified the byelection to the seat, Telangana Congress leaders have been of the view that it should be left uncontested in the larger interests of the party.

They took this to the notice of AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad when he visited Hyderabad on Sunday. They told him about the Telangana Telugu Desam Forum’s decision not to field a candidate if Srinivasa Reddy contests as an independent. But the chances of Srinivasa Reddy contesting as an independent are remote.
Hence, the Congress and Telugu Desam are likely to field their candidates for the bypoll.
According to sources, Azad, after listening to the party MPs from Telangana region and the PCC president who is also in favour of leaving the seat uncontested, felt that the Congress as a national party should not leave it uncontested.

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