HYDERABAD: Apparently wary of an adverse political fallout, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has included former minister and Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao in its list of star campaigners, replacing MP J Santhosh Kumar. The party submitted a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to this effect on Monday.
On March 23, the TRS applied to the CEO for star-campaigner status for 20 leaders. The list, however, did not include Harish Rao. The party now seems to have taken a remedial step as excluding Harish Rao would have suggested to TRS detractors that the former minister was being sidelined.
“I am herewith submitting vehicle permission pass of J Santhosh Kumar, star campaigner, issued by CEO. Hence, I request you to kindly replace the same by one with the name of Harish Rao, MLA and former minister,” TRS general secretary M Sreenivas Reddy wrote in the letter to the CEO submitted on Monday.