HYDERABAD: TRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s announcement at the party’s State executive and legislature party meeting at the Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday that all sitting MLAs would be renominated in the next Assembly elections has dashed the hopes of aspirants in these segments who have been hoping that the party would be kind to them this time around.
Already, some of the aspirants are wondering whether it would be wise to remain in the TRS as, if they do, they would have to remain footsoldiers of the MLAs and ministers forever, or go in search of greener pastures in other parties.In almost all constituencies, there are quite a number of aspirants for the party ticket. The problem is more acute in constituencies where the sitting MLAs are those who had defected from Congress. After 2018 Assembly elections, 12 Congress MLAs joined the TRS.
This has led to a piquant situation in several districts with the MLAs who had defeated the TRS candidates becoming the party’s legislators. Till now, the original TRS leaders in such constituencies had hoped that since they were in TRS for a long time, the party would prefer them to the turncoats but the KCR’s announcement to the contrary shattered their dreams.
For instance, in Khammam district, the TRS won only one MLA seat in the 2018 elections. After the polls, 12 Congress MLAs and two TDP MLAs joined the TRS. Presently in Palair, there is a fight going on for the party ticket between former minister and original TRS leader Thummala Nageshwar Rao and sitting legislator Kandala Upender Reddy who defected from the Congress to the TRS.
In Kothagudem, former MLA Jalagam Venkat Rao is expecting the ticket but now he is not very sure as the sitting MLA is Vanama Venkateswara Rao who had defected to the TRS from the Congress. Former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy is also expecting the Kothagudem Assembly ticket.
Tandur MLA Pilot Rohit Reddy who has now become a hero by trapping the three alleged emissaries of BJP while they were trying to purchase him and three other MLAs, is also from the Congress. Former minister and MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy who had been hoping that he would be nominated for Tandur may have to take the announcement of the chief minister with a pinch of salt.
In Kollapur, there is a flaming row going on between former minister Jupally Krishna Rao and sitting MLA Bheeram Harshavardhan Reddy. Harshavardhan Reddy, too, is from the Congress. In Yellandu, Koram Kanakaiah, in Asifabad Kova Laxmi, in Malleswaram Teegala Krishna Reddy, in LB Nagar, Muddagoni Rammohan Goud have been hoping for tickets to contest from these constituencies.
In Nalgonda district, Nakirekal former MLA Vemula Veeresham is also expecting the ticket but Chirumarti Lingaiah who won from Congress and later joined the TRS might get the party nomination.
A senior leader of the TRS said:”If KCR closes doors on original TRS leaders, there is no other option for them but to look elsewhere. Though we are loyal to the TRS, we have to remain MLAs to survive in politics and protect our cadres. Meanwhile, the BJP and the the Congress are waiting for the opportune time to move in and lap up disgruntled elements in the TRS.”