Hyderabad: Telangana Congress Legislature Party issued a whip to all its MLAs, including the seven who defected, directing them to vote in favour of party candidate Balaram Naik in the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March 23.
Party Whip T. Rammohan Reddy said all MLAs elected under party symbol would have to vote in favour of party candidate. In the 2014 elections, Congress won 19 seats. Donthi Madhava Reddy who won as an independent from Narsampet later joined the party. However, the party strength came down to 13 when seven MLAs defected to the TRS. The expulsion of two MLAs brought its strength further down to 11.
For victory, each Rajya Sabha candidate would need the support of 30 MLAs. The Congress requested CPM and TD to support its candidate, though the latter took a neutral stand.
The two expelled members along with party leaders met Central Election Commission officials on Wednesday in Delhi and requested inclusion of their names in the list of voters.
They also sought relieving the Assembly secretary of duties of returning officer as he was a ‘puppet in the hands of the state government’.
