KCR plots sweep in MLC elections

Hyderabad: Almost immediately after elections to 12 MLC seats from the local bodies quota were announced, the TRS and Congress began started wooing voters. It is a foregone conclusion that it will be a cakewalk for the TRS except in Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar and Ranga Reddy districts, where the Congress has a significant presence.

However Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has not finalised the candidate from Warangal. He also decided to field Congress and TD MLCs who joined the TRS a year ago.

On Wednesday, Mr Rao reportedly asked the TRS leaders to explore the possibility of putting up a second candidate to bag both seats from Mahbubnagar and Ranga Reddy districts as a sizeable number of electors have switched loyalties to the TRS. The earlier understanding was to leave one seat each from these two districts to the Congress.

“Since there is no word from the Congress leaders from Mahbubnagar district over the proposal of making the election unanimous, we may put another candidate,” a key source in TRS told DC.

In Ranga Reddy district, former home minister Sabita Indra Reddy was tipped to be the Congress candidate for one seat and the TRS had decided to field Patnam Narender Reddy, former TD MLC who joined the TRS, for the second seat.

Since elections have been delayed due to various reasons, the political situation has changed and we have almost decided to field another candidate in Ranga Reddy district,” TRS MLC K. Yadava Reddy said.

This would impact the Congress and Ms Indra Reddy’s decision on whether or not to contest. A keen contest will be witnessed in Nalgonda where the Congress has a majority of electors; top leaders hail from the district. Former MP Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, of the Congress has worked for eight months to enlist support for his candidature.

The TRS will field Tera Chinnapa Reddy, who lost from the Nalgonda Lok Sabha seat during the 2014 elections.

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