HYDERABAD: Ending the speculation that the TRS might go to polls early like it had done in 2018, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday ruled out the possibility, stating he "had a lot of work to do for the State" over the next two years of his term.
Letting the party leaders a sneak peak into his mind, the Chief Minister, at a TRS Legislature Party and TRS Parliamentary Party joint meeting at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday, asked them to redouble their efforts to win more seats in the next Assembly elections. "Winning the next Assembly elections is a foregone conclusion as the TRS is poised to sweep the polls. The party would play a key role at the Centre too," he said.
In the meeting that went on for two-and-a-half hours, he covered a wide gamut of political priorities, including the Huzurabad byelection. He expressed confidence that the TRS would win the bypoll hands down.
"I will address an election meeting at Huzurabad after the plenary on October 25. The TRS is ahead of the rival BJP by 13 per cent votes; a sample survey I had commissioned has revealed this," the Chief Minister pointed out.
He asked the party workers to go into the midst of the people and explain to them the various welfare schemes being implemented by the TRS government. As for the plenary session of the party, Rao said only 6,000 delegates would be attending it instead of 14,000 as planned earlier. There should only be 50 delegates from each district, he said.
Underscoring the need for making Vijaya Garjana - a public meeting to be held in Warangal on November 15 - an unprecedented success with a mammoth gathering, he said: "From each village in Telangana, one bus with people should arrive at the venue."
"On that day, as many as 22,000 buses should reach Warangal from all corners of the State. The public meeting would be a forum for the party to explain to the people the resolutions adopted at the plenary. As the TRS is now two decades old, the party would explain the milestones it has crossed in its long journey of serving the people," he said.
Party working president KT Rama Rao is in charge of the public meeting at Warangal. "Vijaya Garjana should serve as an answer to the opposition parties which are barking and howling like dogs and jackals. The meeting should numb their senses. To achieve that goal, preparatory work must be done. There would be meetings with leaders from 20 Assembly constituencies every day at Telanana Bhavan," the Chief Minister said.
Earlier in the day, six sets of nominations were filed by ministers on behalf of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for the position of TRS president. They were handed over to the party election officer Srinivasa Reddy.
Nominations would be received till October 22 and the scrutiny will be done on October 23. Withdrawals would be allowed the next day. The election would be conducted at the plenary meeting to be held on October 25 if there are more than one candidate in the fray, which is unlikely.