Candidates from the Telangana Congress who ran for Lok Sabha seats expressed their frustrations over their defeat to the PJ Kurien Committee. The committee visited Hyderabad to evaluate the party’s poor performance in the recent general elections. Party candidates Ranjeet Reddy and D Nagendar told the committee that losing the BRS vote bank to the BJP hurt their chances of winning.
The AICC’s three-member fact-finding committee, led by Kurien, met with Congress leaders and candidates to gather feedback on the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls. Candidates from Chevella and Secunderabad shared with the committee that the BRS party’s shift in their vote bank to BJP candidates in certain Assembly segments played a role in their defeat.
Congress leaders also mentioned that incorrect candidate selections in some constituencies contributed to their electoral losses. This also helped the BJP win an equal number of 8 MP seats as the Congress. The ruling Congress party had expected to win at least 12 seats, but the BJP gained momentum quickly and secured a good number of seats in the State.
Leaders highlighted that MP candidates did not receive enough support from local Congress MLAs in some constituencies where the party historically had a strong presence. The lack of unity among leadership during the election period also hindered their efforts.
The Kurien Committee will continue discussions for two more days and then prepare a report on the State Congress party’s performance in the elections. The party’s high command was disappointed with the leadership for not securing more seats despite being in power. The report will be submitted to the high command, which will decide whether to take action against those responsible.