HYDERABAD: Who will be the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly? That’s the question on everyone’s mind after the BRS won just 39 Assembly seats. There is a debate in the political circles as to who will be BRS Legislature Party leader.
Though the names of BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, BRS working president KT Rama Rao and former Finance Minister T Harish Rao are doing the rounds, there is speculation that BRS patriarch may focus on national politics and name his son as the Opposition leader.
In the erstwhile Karimnagar, the BRS won only 50 per cent seats and in combined Medak district, it won majority number of seats. In Hyderabad, where Rama Rao campaigned, the BRS won the majority of seats while the Congress a drew a blank. In this scenario, if KCR is unwilling to take the responsibility of an Opposition leader, he might select either KTR or Harish Rao.
In 2004, KCR contested in the Lok Sabha elections and was elected as an MP, following which G Vijaya Rama Rao was made the TRSLP leader. In 2009 elections, the TRS won 10 Assembly seats and Etala Rajender was made legislature party leader. Harish Rao and other MLAs worked under the leadership of Rajender. After the formation of the state, the BRS formed the government twice in 2014 and 2018 and KCR was the natural choice for legislature party leadership.
When asked about the legislature party leader, Rama Rao told reporters on Sunday that the party would soon meet and take a decision on the matter. As KCR already appointed KTR as party working president, in all likelihood the latter would also become the Opposition leader.
However, it remains to be seen if Harish Rao and other senior leaders would accept such a decision, especially since it means giving two posts to KTR.
The possibility of Harish Rao becoming the Opposition leader too cannot be ruled out as he relentlessly attacked TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy during the election campaign. With his oratory skills, Harish Rao could effectively take on Revanth Reddy in the Legislative Assembly.
The party gave opportunities to SC and BC leaders to head the legislature party in 2004 and 2009 respectively. If the party wants to continue the same tradition, then KCR may consider the names of MLAs from those sections. In such a scenario, KTR or Harish Rao will become deputy leaders of the BRS in the Assembly.
MLAS MEET KCR AT ERRAVALLI FARMHOUSE
Siddipet: The newly-elected BRS MLAs, including KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao, met former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at his Erravalli farmhouse in Markook mandal. The MLAs started arriving at KCRs farmhouse from the afternoon. It is learnt that KCR spoke to them about the reasons behind the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections even though the BRS government implementing various welfare and carried out development works. According to sources, KCR also invited AIMIM MLAs to this meeting. Before reaching Erravalli farmhouse, the MLAs met party’s working president KT Rama Rao and KCR’s daughter and MLC Kavitha at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad. Sources also revealed that a few MLAs were conspicuous by their absence at the farmhouse meeting.
