Hyderabad: A keen contest is inevitable for the six MLC seats in Telangana, with seven contestants remaining in the fray on the expiry of withdrawal time on Monday.
The elections have turned interesting with TRS rivals approaching the High Court seeking directions to restrain defected MLAs from TD, Congress and YSR Congress from exercising their vote on the June 1 election. Senior TD legislator A. Revanth Reddy on Monday filed a writ petition in High Court which is slated for hearing on Thursday.
Mr Revanth Reddy stated in his petition that four TD MLAs, Talasani Srinivasa Yadav, Teegala Krishna Reddy, Challa Dharma Reddy and Manchireddy Kishen Reddy have openly declared joining the TRS and as such they cannot be allowed to continue as MLAs and should be barred from exercising their voting rights in the MLC polls. He has also mentioned that Telangana Assembly Speaker, despite repeated requests has not taken any decision on the disqualification petitions filed by the TD even after a lapse of six months.
Meanwhile, the Congress Legislature Party has decided to implead in the petition on Thursday to seek similar directions against four of its MLAs, Koram Kanakaiah, D.S. Redya Naik, G. Vittal Reddy and K. Yadaiah who defected to the TRS.
According to senior party leader Shabbir Ali, along with TD, Congress, even YSR Congress will implead against two of their MLAs joining the TRS without resigning from their membership. In a related development, the TD also challenged in their petition that TRS MLA from Vemulavada, Chennamaneni Ramesh cannot vote in MLC polls as the Supreme Court had issued a direction two years ago on a petition seeking his disqualification on the ground that he enjoys dual citizenship which is illegal.
