Congress Persuades Nine Rebels To Drop Out Of Telangana Race

Congress leaders say with the experience in Karnataka and elsewhere, the party put in place specific teams to talk to rebel candidates to convince them to withdraw. They were offered other posts or an opportunity to contest in the general elections.

The Telangana Congress appears to have managed to convince nine rebels to withdraw from the electoral race on the last day of withdrawal of nominations. The rebels, who had filed nominations after failing to obtain tickets from the party to contest the assembly elections, have withdrawn in favour of official candidates. Adilabad is the only exception where rebel Congress candidate Sanjeev Reddy refused to withdraw from the electoral fray.

Congress leaders say with the experience in Karnataka and elsewhere, the party put in place specific teams to talk to rebel candidates to convince them to withdraw. They were offered other posts or an opportunity to contest in the general elections.

There was high drama at the home of Patel Ramesh Reddy, who had filed nomination from Suryapet, when AICC national secretary Rohit Chaudhary and senior Congress leader Mallu Ravi went to visit him.