Hyderabad: With the Budget session coming to a close, the ruling TRS is returning to its by now familiar game of wooing Opposition MLAs. This time around, the party leadership has set its eyes on the YSR Congress.
Efforts are on to get the YSRC shut shop in TS by winning over its legislators, including its lone MP from Khammam, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. According to TRS sources, party leaders are in touch with YSRC MLA from Pinapaka, Payam Venkateswarlu. The two other MLAs elected on YSRC tickets had joined the TRS months ago.
“If we succeed in getting the Pinapaka MLA to switch sides, all the three elected YSRC MLAs can give a letter to the Speaker for merger of the YSRC Legislature Party into the TRS. The process can be completed in the next few days,” said a senior TRS functionary.
Besides this, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, the lone YSRC MP representing Khammam and who also heads the party’s TS unit, is said to be in touch with the TRS leadership and may shift loyalities to the ruling party soon.
When contacted, Mr Srinivasa Reddy admitted that minister T. Harish Rao and other TRS leaders were in touch with him over the last few days.
“They are talking to me and inviting me to join the TRS, but I haven’t yet taken any decision,” he said.
However, TRS sources said that that the state government favouring a construction company owned by the Khammam MP with a huge contract was one of the baits. “It’s all rumours, no favours were done to me,” Mr Srinivasa Reddy told DC.
TRS sources said of the three TD MLAs remaining in the state, Sandra Venkata Veeraiah may join the ruling party soon.
Meanwhile, the ruling party has, in principle, decided to contest the Palair Assembly seat that has fallen vacant due to the death of Congress senior MLA Ramireddy Venkata Reddy.
“We are not considering the requests from the Congress to leave the seat to it and make the bypoll unanimous. We may field Sucharitha Reddy, wife of Venkata Reddy as our nominee,” a senior TRS functionary said. He said Ms Sucharitha Reddy would soon join the ruling party.
