After complaints from several quarters urging the party to introspect on its debacles, Congress party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi will soon be reviewing the poor performance of the party in Telangana. The recent debacle of the party in the Munugode elections where the Congress candidate Palvai Sravanthi Reddy came a distant third and lost the security deposit, has put pressure on the party leaders to immediately review the party’s performance since 2018.
The review meeting will be conducted after the election dust settles in Himachal Pradesh, where the campaign is being led by Priyanka Gandhi. The state went to polls on Saturday, November 12, and the results will be announced on December 8. The Congress general secretary took up the responsibility to lead the party in the absence of her sibling Rahul Gandhi who is leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The review meeting will likely result in disciplinary action against Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, who allegedly worked for the Congress party’s defeat in Munugode. According to Congress candidate Palvai Sravanthi Reddy, Venkat Reddy worked overtly to help his brother Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy who had contested on the BJP ticket. Priyanka Gandhi’s interest in overlooking the state’s party affairs has also given rise to speculation that she might be replacing Virudhunagar MP Manickam Tagore as the AICC in-charge of Telangana. A senior leader of the party dismissed the speculation, saying it was unlikely as her stature does not befit the role.
He said, “Since August, Priyanka Gandhi has been overseeing party affairs in Telangana. Previously the review meeting could not be held as her grandmother had passed away. Subsequently, the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Munugode polls had delayed the meeting. The review meeting will be held shortly after the conclusion of the polling in Himachal Pradesh.”
In August, ahead of the Munugode bye-election, Priyanka Gandhi had held a meeting with the state leaders to sort out the differences between them. The intervention was necessitated after several leaders had expressed their disappointment against the leadership of Revanth Reddy, who is the president of Telangana Congress. Senior leaders like Venkat Reddy, Marri Shashidhar Reddy, who were expecting the president post, had openly dissented against Revanth taking over the party.
The Congress party has lost all the five bye-polls in Telangana. More worryingly for Congress, the result of Munugode could well be an indication that the party is losing its presence in Nalgonda district, a region considered to be its bastion.