Accusing former Indian cricket captain Azharuddin of unnecessarily creating a rift in the party, former MP from Secunderabad constituency, Anjan Kumar Yadav, said that the high command has assured him the seat from his constituency.
Two days ago, Azharuddin had expressed his desire to contest from Secunderabad, which was strongly opposed by Anjan Kumar Yadav. This created a turmoil in the party with the former MP making it clear that he will not leave the Secunderabad seat at any cost.
At the Greater Hyderabad Congress Committee party meeting convened at Gandhi Bhavan by Telangana unit president Uttam Kumar Reddy and AICC secretary NS Bose Raju with several other senior leaders, supporters of Anjan Kumar disrupted the meeting and raised slogans against Azharuddin.
Following the ruckus created by Anjan kumar, the president of Greater Hyderabad Congress Committee (GHCC) - senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP V Hanumantha Rao, left the meeting abruptly.
Speaking to TNM, the GHCC president said, “It was unwise of him [Azharuddin] to declare that he will be contesting from my constituency without consulting the party leadership. Secunderabad belongs to me. It is my constituency. I have worked with those people for many years.”
“If he decides to contest in elections, he can contest from anywhere else, I don’t have any objection to it. My people [supporters] wish that I contest from Secunderabad. I have already begun my election campaign. I made it clear to Uttam Kumar Reddy garu. He also agreed to it,” he added.
The GHCC president further added, “I don’t know why he wants to represent my constituency. He had previously contested from Moradabad. Let him contest from there itself. He is unnecessarily creating trouble in the party.”
After joining the Congress in 2009, the former Indian cricket captain had contested from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and won the election. However, in the subsequent election, where he contested from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan, he was defeated.
In an exclusive interview with news agency PTI, Azharuddin had announced that he would like to contest from Secunderabad. He stated that he expressed the same to the high command, which had to decide on it now.
Anjan Kumar Yadav has contested thrice from Secunderabad. He won against BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya in 2004 and 2009. However, Bandaru defeated Anjan Kumar with a huge margin in the 2014 polls.