Hyderabad: Bypoll for the Narayankhed Assembly seat will be held on February 13.
The bypoll has been necessitated following the Congress MLA P. Kista Reddy on August 24, 2015. The EC has to fill the vacancy before the expiry of the six month period from the date of vacancy, in this case, before February 24, 2016. The bypoll will coincide with polls due in other constituencies in other states.
With the announcement of bypoll schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force and will be applicable to the entire district.
This would be the first bypoll for an Assembly constituency after formation of Telangana state to a seat held by the Congress.
TRS has retained the two Lok Sabha seats (Medak and Warangal) it had held.
Though Congress leaders have requested all political parties not to contest the bypoll since Kista Reddy was a popular politician, the request was rejected by the ruling TRS.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has entrusted the job of winning the seat to irrigation minister T. Harish Rao who has been making frequent visits to the constituency to garner support for the TRS whose candidate came second in the 2014 general election.
The TRS is banking on the possible split in the two groups of late Kista Reddy and former Zaheerabad MP Suresh Shetkar. The two had reached an understanding before the last elections.
The Congress may field either Galemma, wife of Kista Reddy or Sanjeeva Reddy, his son. TRS has most likely to re-nominate M. Bhupal Reddy while the TD, which also has a strong presence in the constituency, may go with former MLA M. Vijaypal Reddy as its candidate.
