Though the TPCC has held several meetings with over 160 Congress leaders in Telangana, and with the party's national leadership in Delhi, it appears to have failed to come to a decision about the appointment of the next TPCC chief so far.
In fact, AICC Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore has been drawing considerable flak for the delay. MLA Jagga Reddy had even
written a letter to Tagore urging him to expedite the process of the appointment.
The need for the appointment arose when current TPCC head N Uttam Kumar Reddy
tendered his resignation to the party, after the Congress' dismal performance in the GHMC elections held on December 1.
Various senior Congress leaders in the state have since been
vying for the post, and the delay in the appointment has led to much conflict between them.
In this context, veteran party leader and MLC T Jeevan Reddy's announcement today, that as someone who has been a public figure for the last four decades, he was ready to take up any kind of responsibility in the party, made quite the splash.
Many believe that this was his way of showing that he was a serious contender for the post of TPCC head.
While speculations are rife that he is now the most likely candidate for the appointment, the MLC also revealed that he had not received any communication from the AICC regarding the appointment.
(Reddy's inclusion in the list of contenders is rather surprising since MPs Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and A Revanth Reddy were being touted as being in the lead for the race for the post until recently. Each leader had even assured his supporters that he would become the next TPCC head.)
Jeevan Reddy did however add that he had recently gone to Delhi to meet the party's high command, and had spoken with the leaders about the prospective candidates for the post.
Many other leaders, including Revanth Reddy, had also gone to the capital to meet AICC head Sonia Gandhi regarding the appointment.
As the Telangana Congress reels from the effect of
many defections, the added strife in the party regarding the appointment of the TPCC chief might just hasten its complete disintegration in the state.