As a fallout of the GHMC humiliation, Congress is said to be thinking of major reshuffle in the state leadership in order prepare grand old party fit to fight the 2019 elections. The churning in the 10 Jan Path is forced by two successive defeats in the state-Warangal Lok Sabha byelection and GHMC election- in which the party, which was responsible for the creation of Telangana, had been rejected by the people.
Grapevine says lobbying is going on to appoint Md Ali Shabbir (MLC) or DK Aruna (MLA) as the president of the party and take incumbent PCC chief Uttamkumar Reddy as the general secretary of AICC. Already, Greater Hyderabad Congress president Danam Nagender had resigned owning responsibility to the defeat. Danam’s knee jerk reaction embarrassed many in the Congress party and is being seen as a ploy to force top leaders in the TPCC to resign giving scope for the reshuffle.
But, surprisingly, nobody is owning moral responsibility for the crushing defeat of their party in GHMC election from Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party. So far no leader from the TDP-BJP combine talked more than accepting the people’s verdict. Nobody offered, at least for the sake of public posture, resignation-which is normal following poll debacle. It is difficult to expect resignation from the Nara Lokesh Babu, party’s national general secretary and the person, who led the campaign because he is son of party supremo Chandrababu Naidu. The next leader holding important post is L Ramana, president TTDP. When Lokesh led the campaign, Ramana can’t be made scapegoat. Similarly, Revant, also has not yet made any statement to the effect he was owning the responsibility for the defeat. As the defeat put question mark on the leadership abilities of Nara Lokesh, how could the party pull its act together and face the 2019 election. Can the party recover and make itself fit for it without a leader? On other side, TDP is really facing tough time and appears to be on the verge of extinction in Telangana. It is proven that neither Lokesh nor Chandrababu Naidu, who are perceived as leaders from the neighboring state, are no longer inspiration in new Telangana. TDP’s ‘development” drum-beat has been rejected in Hyderabad, the pampered child of Telangana. What would, then, the party tell to the people in rural areas of the state in 2019? The possibility is that many more MLAs will join TRS.
From BJP side, state president G Kishan Reddy also doesn’t appear to be ready for resignation. But, many in the party feel that GHMC defeat expedite the process of removal Kishan Reddy from the post.They say he was allowed to continue as the party leadership didn’t want change of guard before the elections. They are confident that if Kishan Reddy doesn’t resign, party will effect reshuffle and appoint new person as the president of the state unit. Unfortunately for him, MLC N Ramachandra Rao, who is the front runner, is caught up in Rohit Vemula suicide controversy. The most likely choice either a completely new face or reappointing Indrasena Reddy.
