HYDERABAD: The Congress has fielded its best guns in Telangana with the twin target of defeating the ‘secret partnership of TRS-BJP’ and also sending a clear message to the cadre that the party president N Uttam Kumar Reddy himself is leading from the front in the battle to bring back the lost glory of Congress in Telangana.The AICC announced on Monday midnight the second list of candidates from 8 constituencies with TPCC president and Huzurnagar MLA N Uttam Kumar Reddy’s name being finalised from Nalgonda Lok sabha seat. Mallu Ravi has been finalised to contest from Nagarkurnool. Sitting MP Nandi Yellaiah was not given a ticket due to his advanced age. Firoz Khan, who secured over 48,000 votes from Nampally Assembly and finished second, will contest against Asaduddin Owaisi from Hyderabad. Ex-MP Madhu Yashki Goud will take on TRS sitting MP K Kavitha from Nizamabad. While ex-MP Anjan Kumar Yadav will contest from Secunderabad, former minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy will enter the fray from Bhuvanagiri. Vamshichand, who lost from Kalwakurthy Assembly segment will contest from Mahbubnagar and an ex-police officer Dommati Sambaiah will contest from Warangal.With the announcement of second list, the Congress has so far announced its candidates for 16 of the total 17 Lok sabha seats in Telangana. The party is expected to announce its candidate from Khammam in a day or two with ex-union minister Renuka Choudhary and granite industrialist Gayatri Ravi vying for the seat.AICC general secretary RC Khuntia told TOI that the party leadership in Delhi gave a call to the senior leaders and those with winning potential to come forward to contest the Lok Sabha election. “The number of seats the Congress wins in Telangana will mean that the BJP would be short of that many seats. A vote to TRS is actually a vote to BJP. K Chandrasekhar Rao and his MPs have been supporting the BJP from 2014,” he said.TPCC working president Revanth Reddy also commented on Congress’ winning chances. “The Congress is neither scared nor can be finished off. It has a history of making strong comebacks. We lost the opposition status by winning just 26 seats in the 294-member AP Assembly. But Congress came back strongly to win two terms in 2004 and 2009,” Revanth said.

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