Mahesh Kumar Goud, the soft spoken amicable leader, took over as the new chief of Telangana Congress on Sunday. The 58-year-old MLC hailing from Nizamabad district took over the reins from CM Revanth Reddy, to lead Congress party in the state. While this is certianly the biggest and most cherished moment in his political career, also comes with several challenges.

Leading Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, which is home to multiple groups and consisting of powerful leaders with strong individualistic tendencies, is surely not a job for faint-hearted. Besides challenges with in the party, Mahesh Kumar Goud also has to deal with two strong Opposition forces in the state.

Continue the show of unity:

Mahesh Kumar Goud had worked as TPCC working president and proved that he can bring unity among diverse groups led by powerful leaders in Telangana Congress. But that was during Opposition and the equations have changed after party came to power.

To ensure that Congress comes back to power, all the powerful leaders put up a show of unity. It is just nine months since Congress assumed power and the government is just settling in. So the show of unity is still continuing.

But as time passes and the leaders get politically and financially strengthened, it has to been seen whether they will put up same show of unity. So, maintaining unity and coordination between power centres in Telangana Congress is the first challenging task for Mahesh Kumar Goud.

Reward loyal cadres and strengthen party at grassroots level:

Another big challenge for new TPCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud is to satisfy Telangana Congress cadres. If Congress had come back to power, it is because of loyal cadres. But Congress cadres and leaders who have stayed with the party during difficult times have not received any benefits till now.

While corporation chairmen posts have been given, those will be useful for those individual leaders to get salaries and flaunt a post, rather than helping grassroots cadres. Till now no initiative has been taken up by either party or Government which can reward cadres at grassroots level.

Taking on strong and belligerent BRS:

While those are internal challenges, taking on BRS, the strong Opposition force is going to be real challenge for Telangana Congress boss.

Going by the way BRS is raising issues and attacking CM Revanth Reddy personally and Congress Government, it is clear that KCR’s boys are not going to make ruling Telangana, a walk in the park for Revanth Reddy-led Congress Government.

Being TPCC chief, Mahesh Kumar Goud has to motivate and lead Congress cadres to put up a fight against BRS, which has all the resources at its disposal, even though it is in Opposition. Moreover BRS has a history of successfully taking up street fights, unlike Congress cadres who mostly depend on anti-incumbency.

Beware, BJP is making inroads:

While taking on BRS is going to be a challenge, another tough task is to stop the advances of BJP.

BJP, with all its might is making inroads into Telangana, making political landscape of Telangana filled with anticipation and suspense. To win over Telangana people, saffron brigade will fight ruling Congrsss on all available fora and highlight Government’s failures.

So, Mahesh Kumar Goud has to leave no stone unturned to succeed in the battle against BJP, which has a very loyal and trained cadres, apart from PM Modi’s blessings.

Dnr