HYDERABAD: Even as the seat-sharing talks continued between the Congress and TRS and CPI for the panchayat elections, APCC president K. Keshava Rao on Sunday got down to the business of sorting out differences among party leaders in several districts where more than one candidate had filed nominations.

In an attempt to avoid dissidence and possible rebel trouble, Dr. Rao spent much of the time holding talks with party leaders at his residence besides calling up MLAs and MPs to find a way out.

Talks on

More than 1,300 Congressmen filed their nominations for 1,097 ZPTC seats, including from places where the party was likely to allot seats to the TRS and the CPI. "We are discussing the issue and persuading them to withdraw their nominations. We still have time till June 21," Dr. Rao told reporters.

However, the situation appears otherwise in several districts where more than one candidate filed their papers. Party sources admitted that they faced problems in Srikakulam, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Chittoor, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy, Warangal and Medak. MLAs, MPs and local leaders in these districts could not come to an understanding over the choice of candidates. In Srikakulam, Congress MLA B. Satyavati and a former MP were at loggerheads. Similarly, Congress MLAs failed to arrive at a consensus with the local leadership in Nuzvid, Tiruvur and Gudivada Assembly constituencies.

Differences galore

In Guntur district, Vemuru MLA Satish Paul Raj and another party legislator, G. Venkat Reddy, differed with each other over ZPTC candidates while the situation was no different in Tenali where the local MLA, N. Manohar, and Tenali MP V. Balashourie are yet to arrive at an understanding.

The party is facing stiff resistance from a section of leaders in Chittoor over renomination of the sitting ZP chairperson, Reddamma, as ZPTC candidate.

In Nizamabad, the Congress leaders were divided over selection of candidates in Jukkal, Armoor and Dichpalli constituencies, the last two represented by TRS MLAs.

In Ranga Reddy, a section of the party leaders have raised their voice against the Malakpet MLA, Malreddy Ranga Reddy. Citing the nomination of TDP leaders who had joined the Congress in recent times to market and temple committees, they complained that the MLA was again trying to encourage TDP defectors to contest the MPTC and ZPTC seats.

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