Interview: Congress to prioritise development in upcoming municipal polls, says TPCC chief Mahesh Goud

Hyderabad: For the upcoming Urban Local Body (ULB) elections of Telangana, prestige targets in the periphery of Hyderabad, Nizamabad and Warangal will be in focus.

The poll results in these areas will show if people have accepted Congress governance and the State government’s ambitious projects, such as Musi Rejuvenation and Future City.

President of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Mahesh Kumar Goud, in a conversation with NewsMeter, outlined the strategy of the Congress party for the municipal elections.

Here are excerpts from the interview:

NewsMeter: How is the Congress party approaching ticket distribution this time?

Mahesh Kumar Goud: Our approach is decentralised and fair. We are striking a balance between the old and new. Those who have stood by the party will also be given a chance and those who have newly joined. For this reason and to ensure transparency, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has appointed minister-in-charge for each district.

The minister, along with the local Municipal Chairman and the DCC President, will form the screening committee. They will finalise the candidates locally. The PCC will only step in if there are tricky cases or disputes. We want local leaders to have a say in who represents their wards.

NM: What will be the strategy of the Congress party in the urban local body polls?

Mahesh Kumar Goud: Our core strategy is development. We are going to talk to people based on our performance, what we had promised and what we achieved so far. We will discuss in detail the projects which are going to bring change in Telangana. Building a new Future City, the Musi Riverfront Development project and the extension of the metro rail. These show that the state is on the road to development.

The infrastructure plans are not only for in and around Hyderabad, but they have also been planned across the state. This is the first time that a Cabinet meeting was held in Medaram, which shows the decentralised policy of the government. We will also highlight the infrastructure plans for Warangal, which is going to be the second-biggest city in Telangana.

We will also be focusing on important topics such as price rise and MNREGA that affect people.

NM: The Chief Minister has appointed in-charges for the districts. What is the reason?

Mahesh Kumar Goud: We are looking at effectively reaching out to the voters. There is a lot of work that the Congress party has done, and it must reach the people the right way. For that reason, the tasks have been given to the in-charges who will work along with the locals and ensure that there is effective communication to the voters.

NM: Nizamabad is your home turf, and you have expressed a desire to see the Congress flag hoisted at the local body level? What is the strategy for that?

Mahesh Kumar Goud: The Congress party is clear that it is for development. We are not like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) begging for votes in the name of God. Will changing names and roads bring prosperity to the region? We are going to work hard to break the jinx of the opposition in the Nizamabad area.

NM: The most contentious issue is the 42 per cent backward class quota. What is your response to that?

Mahesh Kumar Goud: The BJP and BRS have tried every legal trick to obstruct this, but our commitment is unwavering. Even if there are temporary hurdles, we will ensure that 42 per cent of our tickets go to Backward Classes. We aren’t just talking about numbers; we are talking about social justice. The dedicated BC commission has already laid the groundwork, and the people can see who is actually fighting for them and who is trying to stop them.

NM: Congress recently won the panchayat polls but urban voters are different; they are also unpredictable. What is your assessment?

Mahesh Kumar Goud: Our ground reports state that the people of Telangana in urban areas trust CM Revanth Reddy and the projects being taken up by our government. We are confident that the urban voters are seeing these changes and will give us the mandate.