Hyderabad: With Thursday being the last day to file papers for the six MLC seats, the TRS and TD have not announced their candidates and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao decided to continue the suspense over fielding a fifth candidate that will force an election.
As per the respective strengths of parties, the TRS can win four and Congress one seat. However, a lot depends on whether the TRS will field a fifth candidate with its surplus votes as the TD does not have enough MLAs due to defections.
TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu had appointed a committee with Telangana party leaders to ‘discuss and decide’ the party candidate.
The names of former MLC Arikela Narsareddy and former MLA Vem Narender Reddy are doing the rounds. Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in Assembly K. Jana Reddy met senior TRS functionary and MP Dr K. Kesava Rao and requested him to bring to the notice of Chief Minister that it would be proper to allow unanimous poll rather than force a contest by fielding a fifth candidate. Mr Kesava Rao promised him that much depends on Mr Chandrasekhar Rao holding consulatations with senior party leaders tonight.
According to TRS party sources, the names of Dy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari, and R and B Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao were finalised by Mr Rao and the CM himself telephoned the two ministers and asked them to file papers on Thursday.
For the two other seats and the one nomination seat from Governor’s quota apart from fielding a fifth candidate, the four names doing the rounds are TRS party office manager Srinivasa Reddy, former MLC K. Yadava Reddy, former Dy chairman Legislave Council Neti Vidyasagar Rao and former MLC Bodakunti Venkateswarlu.
Sources said out of these four, one will go to Governor’s quota and the rest would be fielded from MLAs quota. In case the CM decides to go for unanimous poll, one of these four would be dropped.
Whether election would be unanimous or contest (in the event of a fifth candidate being fielded) will be decided only on Thursday morning.
Even Td also has not come out with candidate name and is waiting to know the ruling party mind on fielding fifth candidate.
A minimum of 18 Votes (MLAs) are required to send one MLC, and TD is short of three votes as of now. However if election is forced, it would be secret ballot and MLAs are free to exercise their franchise since party Whip is not valid in these elections.
