HYDERABAD: The Congress members have been pushed to the second row in the State Legislative Assembly for the first time in 70 years, both in combined Andhra Pradesh and separate Telangana states. The Speaker made fresh arrangements for the seats in the House and the AIMIM occupied the seats in the front row intended for the Opposition leader.
As 12 MLAs of the Congress merged with TRS, the Congress has only six MLAs and lost its Opposition status. After the expansion of the Cabinet, the Speaker made fresh seating arrangements in the House. Accordingly, AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi was seated in the front row, where all the Opposition leaders in the past, including N Chandrababu Naidu, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, K Jana Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka used to sit.
As the AIMIM has seven members in the Assembly and the Congress has only six, the Speaker allotted seats to AIMIM in the front row. The Congress floor leader Bhatti Vikramarka sat in the second row. However, the AIMIM was not declared as the Opposition party by the Speaker officially. According to sources, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman post, which is yet to be filled by the Speaker, may also go to the AIMIM now.