Telangana: Congress sets in motion process for picking new chief

Hyderabad:  After successive electoral defeats, Congress in Telangana is now faced with the task of choosing a successor to its state president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who has resigned from the post after the party’s dismal showing in the recent civic polls in the city.
Consultations have been held by AICC in-charge of the party affairs in Telangana Manickam Tagore with a large number of leaders, including elected representatives, on picking the new head amid indications that there are at least 4-5 contenders for the post.
Uttam Kumar Reddy resigned in the wake of the Congress securing only two out of the total 150 wards in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections this month.
BJP made major gains in the city polls, bagging 48, improving its 2016 tally of just four. The ruling TRS emerged as the single largest party winning 56 wards.
A herculean task of rejuvenating the party awaits the new Pradesh Congress President president with the presence of formidable competitors in ruling TRS and a resurgent BJP, fresh from its recent wins in the Dubbak assembly bypoll and the GHMC elections.
Congress in Telangana has been left in a poor shape after losing the assembly elections in 2014 and 2018, the recent Dubbak bypoll and the GHMC polls though it had hoped to make major political gains after granting statehood to Telangana six years ago.