Election Commission schedules Palair bypoll on May 16
Polling will be held on May 16 and votes would be counted on May 19, the EC said.
Hyderabad: The Election Commission on Tuesday announced the bypoll schedule for the Palair Assembly seat in Khammam district that fell vacant following the death of senior Congress MLA Ramreddy Venkata Reddy.
Polling will be held on May 16 and votes would be counted on May 19, the EC said. However, the main parties like TRS, Congress and TD are not yet prepared to announce candidates.
“We will field a member of late Venkata Reddy’s family. We have sent a word to the family members to name their choice, we are awaiting their response,” TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy told DC.
He said that after zeroing in on the candidate, the Congress will formally appeal to other parties, especially the ruling TRS, not to contest the bypoll.
However, TRS sources said that efforts were on to reach out to Sucharita Reddy, wife of Venkata Reddy to join the TRS and contest as its candidate. “In case she doesn’t want to contest on TRS ticket, and if she is willing to contest as an Independent, we may still prefer her and support but much depends on how she will react,” said a key source in the TRS.
Elsewhere, TS TD chief L. Ramana said that he has sought a report from the Khammam district unit on the political situation in Palair. “After getting the report we will decide whether TD will contest,” Mr Ramana said.
Palair is the second bypoll caused due to the death a sitting Congress MLA.
Earlier, the TRS had brushed aside the Congress request and contested the Narayankhed bypoll.