HYDERABAD: Congress cadres are upbeat as its candidates performed ‘well’ in the MLC elections in Medak and Khammam districts. The party candidates succeeded in getting more votes than their tally in the elections. The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) leaders said the Congress ‘morally’ won the MLC elections, whereas the TRS got technical victory.
Of the six MLC seats for which elections were held in the erstwhile Karimnagar, Adilabad, Khammam, Medak and Nalgonda under local bodies’ quota, the party fielded candidates in Khammam and Medak districts only. Citing lack of sufficient votes, the party kept away from the contest. In Medak district, Cong fielded TPCC working president and Sangareddy MLA T. Jayaprakash ‘Jagga’ Reddy’s wife and Sangareddy District Congress Committee president T. Nirmala as the MLC candidate.
After the Congress had nominated its candidate, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) lost the chance of unanimous election of its MLC and took utmost care in the pre-poll arrangements. Interestingly, Jayaprakash ‘Jagga’ Reddy challenged that the Congress would get its 230 sure shot votes, else he would resign from the TPCC post. However, Congress nominee T. Nirmala secured 238 votes, more than the party’s tally.
Reacting to the results, Jayaprakash Reddy said they contested the MLC elections with a strategy. “We showed the Congress’ strength in the MLC elections. The party will sweep all the next Assembly elections including Siddipet and Gajwel represented by minister T. Harish Rao and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in Medak district,” he said. He said the political game began in the Chief Minister’s native district.
Meanwhile, in Khammam district, the Congress candidate Rayala Nageshwar Rao got 242 votes, whereas the party has merely 96 votes in Khammam. In a cross-voting, the Congress candidate got sizable votes in the MLC elections. Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the TRS leaders ridiculed the Congress on MLC polls, but they gave a tough competition to the ruling party. A few TRS voters also supported the Congress, he opined.
