Over 1,000 applications have been submitted to the Congress party for the upcoming 2023 Telangana elections, indicating strong interest among aspirants. The application process concluded on August 25.

This unexpected wave of applications has shaken the political landscape in Telangana. The Congress’ resurgence has caught many off guard. Despite initial expectations favoring BRS’s electoral dominance, the eagerness of candidates to secure Congress tickets reflects the party’s formidable resurgence and poses a challenge for BRS.

The surge in applications includes senior party members, social workers, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and young individuals.

With 119 assembly constituencies in Telangana, each seat has approximately 5 to 6 contenders. The submission period saw significant activity, with candidates required to deposit Rs 50,000 for the open category and Rs 25,000 for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe candidates.

A selection committee, comprising senior leaders like Baba Siddique, Jignesh Mewani, and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee members, will evaluate applicants based on their party involvement, grassroots efforts, and acceptability to voters.

The committee faces the challenge of assessing established leaders and emerging ground-level workers. Noteworthy applicants include Kamareddy, where Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao plans to contest, and prominent figures such as Shabbir Ali, Revanth Reddy, and Ponnala Lakshmaiah, vying for seats. Women aspirants, including Regulapati Ramya Rao, have also applied.

The Congress party’s final candidate selection will follow the Chevella meeting led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.