HYDERABAD: Though the ruling TRS can bag all six vacant seats in the Legislative Council unanimously, it has requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to postpone the elections to avoid possible ‘political embarrassment’ within the party before the Huzurabad Assembly bypoll. The State government urged the ECI to postpone the biennial polls to the Council citing the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic. Further postponement of biennial elections for six vacant seats, which were vacated on June 3, would be a temporary advantage for the ruling party.
No Opposition party in the Assembly has the required strength to file the nomination for the Legislative Council polls. So, the ruling party can easily win all six seats unanimously. But the problem is that there are many aspirants for the six seats in TRS and the ruling party cannot please all of them. Thus, it appears that the TRS preferred to postpone the polls. The six vacant seats include those vacated by Legislative Council Chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy, Deputy Chairman of the Council Neti Vidyasagar, former Minister K Srihari and TRS general secretary Bodakunti Venkateswarlu. All of them are aspiring for another term.
The term of Md Fareeduddin and Akula Lalitha too was completed. It remains to be seen whether the ruling party will again give a chance to a Muslim and a woman. Besides, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had already assured to send MC Kotireddy, a potential leader from the Nagarjuna Sagar Assembly segment, to the Council. It is also not known whether Gutha Sukhender Reddy and Kotireddy will be sent to the Council. Rao had assured in the past that leaders from Viswabrahmin, Kummari, Rajaka and Padmasali castes would be sent to the Council.