Hyderabad: The Congress reeling under one setback after the other in the newly created Telangana state has decided to change its leadership.
Concerned by the frequent bouts between the party leaders and continuous alienation of powerful Reddy community from the party, Congress has replaced its incumbent state president Ponnala Lakshmaiah with Capt Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Also to ensure the support of the weaker sections, the Congress high command has appointed a Dalit leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka as working president of state Congress committee.
Ponnala Lakshmaiah, a backward class leader was given the reigns of the party in Telangana just ahead of last year’s elections, but failed to capitalise on the fact the party President Sonia Gandhi had played a crucial role in the formation of Telangana state.
Lakshmaiah’s ouster was looking imminent, as he had also failed to unit the faction-ridden party and carry along the other seniors specially the Reddy leaders.
Former minister Uttam Kumar Reddy is party MLA from Nalgonda district. Bhatti Vikramarka hails from Khammam district and is a member of assembly. He served as deputy speaker of Assembly in the past.
Apart from opting for Capt Uttam Kumar Reddy, Congress high command also summoned another senior Reddy leader and party’s floor leader in state assembly K Jana Reddy to New Delhi for discussions. Party sources said as Jana Reddy was one of the aspirants of the state leadership, he was invited to Delhi to ensure that new state president Uttam Kumar Reddy gets his support and cooperation.
