Known for its effective management techniques, the Congress high command has gone out of the way to appease the rebel candidates who had filed nominations in the seats allotted to official candidates.
For the first time, the high command sent its top leaders including Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh, Veerappa Moily and Bose Raju from Delhi and D K Shiva Kumar from Karnataka, besides former Union ministers S Jaipal Reddy and T Subbarami Reddy to talk to rebel candidates, pacify them and request them to withdraw from the contest.
The senior leaders went to the residences of former Serilingampalli MLA Bhikshpathi Yadav, Thotakura Jangaiah Yadav, Vajresh Yadav and Naini Rajender Reddy on Wednesday night.
They also met former Union minister Renuka Chowdary, who has been sulking ever since the nomination process began. All of them have finally agreed to withdraw from the contest.
Earlier, they managed to pacify former minister Sabita Indra Reddy’s son P Karthik Reddy and others to drop out from the contest.
Only Ranga Reddy DCC president Kyama Mallesh revolted against the party and was suspended from his post. He is likely to join the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
Obviously, the Congress party did not want to take chances, as the elections have become prestigious for it to come back to power.
The party is not ready to lose even a single winnable seat. They promised the rebels that they would be accommodated either as MLAs or give them party tickets for Lok Sabha elections.
It is learnt that the leaders are pacifying the discontented leaders of Warangal East but Congress contestant Vaddiraju Ravichandra is not willing to withdraw his nomination.
Mr. Vaddiraju is pressurising Congress high command to make TJS candidate Gade Innayya out of elections.
