The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, on Tuesday asked the PCC chief, Mr D. Srinivas, to field candidates in the upcoming by-elections, scotching speculations that the party may keep away from the poll scene.
She also specifically asked him to silence leaders from Telangana who were openly saying that the party should not contest the bypolls.
“Now with our leader’s decision it is clear that we will contest the by-polls and there should be no difference of opinion on this,” he told mediapersons in Delhi. “Leaders should stop talking against the party decision.”
Mr Srinivas met the Congress president in the morning and later had prolonged meetings with Mr Ahmed Patel, her political secretary, and the Union minister, Mr Veerappa Moily, in-charge of Congress affairs in AP.
With Mrs Gandhi taking a firm stance, the Telugu Desam will also be compelled to contest in the by-polls, without allowing the Telangana Rashtra Samiti nominees to be elected unanimously as was being suggested by some leaders from Telangana region.
The PCC chief also said the party would decide on the nominees soon and no decision has been taken so far in this regard. He disclosed that he had submitted a detailed report on the ground situation in the 12 Assembly segments to the high command.
Mr Srinivas, however, declined to comment on whether he would be contesting in the by-polls from the Nizamabad urban segment.
