Telangana Congress Requests Sonia Gandhi To Contest 2024 Lok Sabha Elections From State, Suggests Revanth Reddy's Left Seat

The Telangana Congress has formally urged former All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi to contest in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Telangana.

The request is based on the sentiment that the people of the state wish to express their gratitude to her for granting statehood, a demand that persisted for over six decades.

In its first meeting since the Congress came to power in the state, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Telangana Congress unanimously passed a resolution proposing Sonia Gandhi as a candidate for any of the seats in Telangana.

Malkajgiri constituency, formerly represented by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy before assuming office, was suggested as the preferred choice.

According to a report from The Hindu, Congress believes Sonia Gandhi played a pivotal role in securing Telangana statehood, enduring opposition both within and outside the Congress party.

The party attributes its return to power in the state after a decade to the six guarantees announced by Sonia Gandhi following the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

The Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, AICC in-charge for Telangana Manikrao Thakare, and others attended the Telangana Congress’s Political Affairs Committee meeting in Hyderabad on December 18, 2023.

The party sees Sonia Gandhi's candidacy as a significant move, drawing parallels to the historical election of her mother-in-law, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, from the Medak constituency in the combined Andhra Pradesh during a politically challenging period.

The Gandhi family's special connection with Telangana, emphasised by Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi's active campaigning in the region during the 2023 Assembly elections, adds to the sentiment.

AICC in-charge for Telangana, Manikrao Thakare, expressed confidence that the people would support Sonia Gandhi with a resounding majority.