If the reports from the Telangana Congress party are to be believed, former Indian cricket captain and ex-MP Mohammad Azharuddin is going to be the Congress candidate for the upcoming by-election to Jubilee Hills assembly seat.
According to these reports, Azhar has been camping in New Delhi and had met top leaders of the Congress high command to get the nod for contesting the by-elections to Jubilee Hills seat, which fell vacant following the death of sitting MLA Maganti Gopinath.
Apparently, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy appears to have decided to nominate somebody else for the seat, particularly P Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, son of late Congress leader P Janardhan Reddy.
Revanth already assigned ministers Vivek, Ponnam, and Tummala the responsibility of ensuring victory in the constituency, similar to the Congress win in the Cantonment bypoll.
The contest is set to be intense, with the MIM expected to field a candidate, the BRS reportedly preparing to nominate a member of Gopinath’s family, and the BJP also gearing up for a fight.
But Azharuddin has been conducting key parleys in Delhi, directly engaging with the party high command. Azhar has publicly expressed his interest in contesting from Jubilee Hills, while Revanth has maintained that the candidate will be decided by the party.
Azhar has also been meeting leaders within the constituency and, during a recent trip to Delhi, met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to discuss securing the ticket. Telangana Congress in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan was reportedly present during the discussions.
According to party sources, Azhar received a positive response from the high command. His move to bypass Revanth and approach Delhi directly, and the near-certainty of a green signal for his candidacy, has stirred interest in the party.
The focus now is on whether Revanth will support Azhar’s candidature or propose an alternative arrangement.
