HYDERABAD: TRS leaders don’t have an iota of doubt on who’ll form the government. Immediately after most exit polls predicted a pink party victory, the talk in political circles has now switched from who will win the elections to which leaders will make it to the Cabinet.
The TRS government has in the past been flayed for asserting that it would work for the empowerment of women when it had not one woman minister.
A minister in the caretaker government, requesting anonymity, told Express he was not worried about whether he would win, but about if he would be dropped from the Cabinet.
TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is likely to take oath as chief minister at LB Stadium on December 14 if his party wins, has dropped several hints about his choice of Ministers in the next Cabinet.
Padma Devender Reddy was the only woman leader in fray from the pink party who has in the past occupied a top position: She was Deputy Speaker for over four years in the recently dissolved Assembly.
The TRS gave tickets to just four women in the Assembly elections: Kova Lakshmi (Asifabad), Rekha Naik (Khanapur), Gongidi Sunita (Alair) and Padma Devender Reddy (Medak).
The caretaker Chief Minister had during his election meeting in Medak suggested Padma Devender may be given a berth. “Padma Devender Reddy is like my daughter. Elect her with one lakh majority. As she is a woman, she will get a high position,” Rao said.
Among the others whom the Telangana Rastra Samithi boss is likely to induct into the Cabinet is former Assembly Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary — if he is not asked to continue in his capacity as the head of the Assembly, that is. During a poll meeting in Nakrekal, Rao declared that Vemula Veerasam would not continue as MLA if he won from the SC reserved constituency.
Similarly, at Chennur, Rao said: “Elect Balka Suman. He will not remain a mere MLA. I have bigger plans for him.”
The comments have sent some of the leaders in the caretaker Cabinet into a tizzy as the induction of anyone new would mean that some of the Ministers in the previous Cabinet would inevitably have to be dropped.
KTR sure of TRS victory
TRS is of the view that several Congress bigwigs including TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Opposition leader K Jana Reddy, TPCC working president A Revanth Reddy, Congress campaign committee chairman Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, former minister DK Aruna and Komatireddy Venkatareddy will bite the dust in the Assembly elections.
In an informal chat with reporters at Telangana Bhavan here on Saturday, TRS leader KT Rama said the defeat of Congress bigwigs, who are aspiring Chief Ministerial candidates, were sure to lose to TRS candidates. According to KTR, no Independent candidate will in the election.
KTR is confident that the pink party would win 17 Assembly seats in the GHMC area. “The TRS flag will fly high even in Kukatpally and Serilingampally segments,” he said. He felt that there was a neck-and-neck fight in Amberpet and Musheerabad. But, averred that the TRS would have a slight edge in these two segments too. He predicted that BJP would get not more than two seats in the Assembly polls.
Asked about the widespread protests in the past by irrigation project oustees, the TRS leaders said that the party got votes in those places too. “We have definite information that the people voted for TRS in Nerella, Mallannasagar and Uddandapur,” he said.
‘Naidu’s campaign helped us’
KTR said that the AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s election campaign in Telangana indeed helped the TRS. “The Congress realised this in the last minute and deleted Naidu’s photo from the advertisements issued in the last two days of polling. But, enough damage has already been done to Grand Alliance by then,” he quipped.
‘We are strong’
Asked about PCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy’s call to Congress workers to guard the EVMs at strongrooms, Rao said there was no need for the TRS cadre to guard strongrooms. Rama Rao, however, cautioned party candidates to be alert till the counting was completed and wanted them to appoint counting agents at all the places.
Lagadapati to take sanyasa
Rama Rao alleged that the Congress-TDP combine spent crores of rupees in the elections, but it would go waste. On Lagadapati Rajagopal’s survey, the TRS leader said that it was not an exit poll as reported by the media. “Lagadapati stated that Telangana would not be carved out. But, we have achieved the State. Later, Lagadapati took political sanyasa. After the outcome of the elections, Lagadapati will also take sanyasa as a psephologist,” he remarked.
About missing votes from the electoral rolls, Rama Rao said that it would also damage the prospects of TRS. “Our victory margins will come down. Even the names of TRS supporters were deleted. We will meet the Election Commission officials after the results and request them to rectify the electoral rolls at least for Lok Sabha elections,” Rama Rao said.