Senior Congress leader and former minister Konda Surekha is ready to contest the forthcoming by-election in Huzurabad assembly constituency on the Congress ticket, but on one condition.
She told reporters that the Congress leadership has been asking her to contest the Huzurabad by-election to give a tough fight to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
“I don’t have any objection to contest the by-election to Huzurabad. But it is only for this time. I don’t want to contest for the seat in the next elections. I will go back to Warangal, which is my stronghold,” she said.
Surekha clarified that she would accept the party offer only she gets the assurance that she would be sent back to her native Parkal or Bhupalpalli in the next assembly elections.
The Congress party is aware that it is not so easy to win the by-election in Huzurabad, but it wants to at least put up a tough contest. The party won considerable number of votes in 2018 assembly elections and 2019 Lok Sabha elections in this segment.
If the Congress can retain this vote share, if not more, it will have the chances of bouncing back in the next assembly elections. So, it needs to field a tough candidate who can coordinate with other smaller parties and independents.
That is why the party leadership is bringing pressure on Surekha to contest the by-poll. As a stand-by, it is also looking for an alternative candidate for which it has called for applications from various aspirants, but none of them appeared to be a serious candidate.
“If it is Surekha, the Congress can retain its prestige to a large extent. If it is any other candidate, there is every possibility that the party will lose its deposit in the Huzurabad by-poll,” a PCC leader observed.
