It looks like the Congress high command has dropped the plan for changing the president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee for now, in the wake of the prevailing Coronavirus pandemic situation across the country.
So, at least for the next few months, present TPCC chief Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy will continue in the post, much to the disappointment of several aspirants including veterans like V Hanumantha Rao, K Jana Reddy and Ponnala Lakshmaiah, besides others like A Revanth Reddy, T Jagga Reddy and D Sridhar Babu.
On Wednesday, Uttam completed five years in the office of TPCC president. He had replaced former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah who was appointed a few months before the 2014 assembly elections hoping that he would bring the party to power in Telangana state.
The high command thought Uttam, who was non-controversial and a man of calibre, would be able to lead the party to victory in 2018 assembly elections, but he, too, had failed miserably. In fact, the Congress had lost all the elections after the formation of Telangana, including the by-elections to Huzurnagar assembly seat which he had represented in the past.
After the defeat of the Congress in the municipal elections last year, Uttam offered to step down. But the high command did not find anybody else as suitable. Though there was a talk that firebrand leader A Revanth Reddy would become the PCC chief, several other leaders protested any such attempt.
Now with Coronavirus disease is creating havoc everywhere, the high command is unlikely to replace Uttam for now. Even Revanth, who was critical of Uttam’s style of functioning till now, had no option but to congratulate Uttam to complete five years in the office of TPCC chief !
