Congress in Telangana gears up for municipal polls

: Gearing up for municipal polls which are expected to be held later this month, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy Tuesday asked the party's district coordinators to hold meetings soon to recommend candidates for the elections.

Reddy directed the District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents, MLAs and MPs, former ministers and MLAs to meet on July 13, 14 and 15 to suggest names for the municipal polls, Congress sources said.

Congress had earlier decided to let the local-level functionaries decide nominees and play a major role in the urban local body polls.

The state Election Commission held a preparatory meeting with representatives of various political parties Monday for the elections.

Though Congress suffered a massive defeat in the assembly polls (winning only 19 of the total 119 seats) held in December last year, it salvaged its pride by winning three (of the 17) constituencies in Lok Sabha polls.

It hopes to recover lost ground in the municipal elections.

The ruling TRS is also gearing up for the polls, trying to make use of its ongoing membership drive.

TRS working president K T Rama Rao, who held a tele-conference with party's senior leaders, MLAs and others on Monday, suggested that the party should reach out to educated sections and professionals in urban areas and enrol them as members in view of the municipal elections, TRS sources said.

Rama Rao, son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, told the partymen to take advantage of social media and local cable TV channels to spread the message of local MLAs, MPs and other senior leaders, the sources said.

The BJP, which put up a decent performance in the Lok Sabha elections (winning four seats), is also making efforts to consolidate its gains in the municipal polls.