Congress high command to decide on alliances for LS polls in Telangana

The Congress said Wednesday the party's central leadership would take a call on whether to continue with an alliance with the TDP, CPI and TJS for the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana. The alliance named 'Prajakutami' (People's Alliance), struck for the December 7, 2018 Assembly elections in Telangana, had come a cropper at the hustings.

The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti returned to power with 88 seats in the 119-member assembly, pushing the Congress to a distant second with 19 seats. The TDP (Telugu Desam Party) led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, secured only two seats, while the CPI (Communist Party of India) and the TJS (Telangana Jana Samiti) drew a blank.

Sources in the Congress said a section of the party is in favour of contesting the Lok Sabha polls on its own, while some leaders are pushing for continuation of the alliance. "The Congress high command will decide on alliances keeping in view the overall interest of the party at the national level," AICC spokesperson Sravan Dasoju told PTI Wednesday. The Congress unit in Telangana has started collecting applications from ticket aspirants for the Lok Sabha polls.

Asked if the Congress-led alliance would continue for the Lok Sabha polls, CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said it is still a question mark. Being the biggest party, the Congress has to initiate a discussion and call for a meeting, but they have not yet convened it, he added. CPI's Telangana unit Tuesday wrote a letter to the Congress asking for a meeting of the 'Prajakutami,' Reddy said, adding, only after the Congress response that one will know if the alliance would continue.