The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) on Saturday expelled 24 leaders from its ranks for a period of six years, for contesting against the official candidates of the Congress party and its allies in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, refusing to withdraw their nomination.
The list of names, released by Disciplinary Action Committee Chairman, M Kodanda Reddy, includes several dissidents who were unhappy with being denied a ticket including a former state Minister, Boda Janardhan, from Chennur constituency.
Many leaders within the party were also upset at the Congress-led alliance giving away the seats that they wished to contest, to their allies; the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
Besides Boda Janardhan, others who were expelled include Ravi Srinivas from Sirpur, Hari Naik from Khanapur, Anil Jadhav from Boath, Narayan Rao Patel from Mudhole, Aruna Thara from Jukkal, N Ratnakar from Nizamabad (Urban), Sri Ganesh from Secunderabad Cantonment, K Shiva Kumar Reddy from Narayanpet, Ibrahim and Surender Reddy from Mahbubnagar, Billiya Naik from Devarakonda, Shravan Kumar Reddy from Munugode, Dr Ravi Kumar from Tungaturthy, Nehru Naik from Dornakal, Ooke Abbaiah and Banoth Balaji Naik from Yellendu, Yedavalli Krishna from Kothagudem and Ramulu Naik from Wyra.
In a separate statement, the party also said that five members were expelled for six years, in Narayanpet Assembly constituency in Mahabubnagar district for working against the local candidate declared by the Congress.
The expelled members included two Mandal Congress Committee Presidents, Kavali Narahari and Sai Reddy, besides one Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) member, Soubhagya Laxmi. Two other leaders, Niranjan Reddy and Chittem Abhijay Reddy were also expelled.
Last week, a group of 40 leaders and aspirants from the Congress, who were denied tickets for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, have decided to form their own ‘Rebel Front’ and contest independently in their home ground.
The leaders had claimed that the Mahakutami was handing out tickets to those who had defected from other parties and those who had lost more than three elections consecutively.
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