Hyderabad: The Congress Screening Committee convened for a second day in New Delhi to finalize the party’s candidates for the upcoming Telangana Assembly elections.
The meeting was attended by key Congress leaders, including Telangana in-charge Manikrao Thakray, PCC President Revanth Reddy, and several MPs and committee members.
In the first meeting held on Wednesday, the screening committee reviewed potential candidates’ names. However, Thursday’s session was dedicated to a more in-depth examination of these candidates.
Candidates for 24 constituencies in Greater Hyderabad have already been finalized, with the list submitted to the high command.
The Congress had made it mandatory for all contesting leaders to submit their applications, and the task of shortlisting from over 1000 applications has been completed.
For approximately 30-40 assembly constituencies, only one candidate has been finalized. In the remaining constituencies, two or three candidates will be recommended, and the final decision will be made by the party’s high command. In very few constituencies, only one application was received.
The Congress has refrained from releasing the list of candidates due to ongoing parliamentary sessions and speculation about simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
However, with the election schedule expected to be announced in the first week of October, the Congress is preparing to release its initial list of candidates.
In constituencies where strong competition exists, the screening committee will present multiple candidate names for consideration. In 30 assembly constituencies, the screening committee has reached a consensus on a single candidate.
These constituencies include those where former ministers, senior leaders, sitting MPs, and MLAs have submitted applications.
The first list of candidates is expected to be released by the end of this month. During the special session of Parliament, screening committee members will remain available in Delhi for consultation with the party’s high command.
