HYDERABAD: The selection of six Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) candidates for MLC polls under MLAs quota on Tuesday sparked speculation over the political future of MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, daughter of TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
The selection of Rajya Sabha member Banda Prakash as MLC triggered rumours in political circles that Chandrashekar Rao did this to pave way for Kavitha’s entry to the Rajya Sabha in the place of Banda Prakash.
But there is an argument that if Kavitha is sent to Rajya Sabha in place of Banda Prakash, it will offset the TRS attempts to gain political mileage by nominating Banda Prakash, hailing from Mudiraj community as MLC and inducting him into the Cabinet in lieu of removing Etela Rajendar in May, who also hails from Mudiraj community. Moreover, there is a political risk of facing "family rule" criticism more severely from Opposition parties and others that Rao has nominated one more family member to Rajya Sabha while his nephew Joginipally Santosh Kumar was already nominated to Rajya Sabha in March 2018 and has tenure till March 2024.
Another talk in party circles is that Chandrashekar Rao wants to take Kavitha into his Cabinet by fielding her in the MLC election for upcoming Nizamabad local bodies seat again to be held on December 10. But whether Rao has any such plans to continue Kavitha in state politics or not will be known only by November 23, the last date to file nominations for elections to 12 MLC seats under local bodies quota.
Kavitha is among the 12 MLAs who will retire on January 4, 2022 for which the elections are being held on December 10. Kavitha currently represents MLC seat from Nizamabad local bodies’ constituency. If Rao fields Kavitha in the upcoming MLC polls, it is an indication that she will continue in state politics and there are chances of inducting her into the Cabinet whenever it happens in future and if not, Rao wants her to confine to national politics by nominating her to Rajya Sabha, party circles feel. With this, party circles are waiting with baited breath for Chandrashekar Rao to release the list of 12 party's candidates for MLC polls under local bodies’ quota by November 23.
Kavitha won as MLC only in October 2020 but her term will end in January 2022 because she contested the bypoll after Nizamabad local bodies’ seat fell vacant due to disqualification of sitting TRS MLC R. Bhupathi Reddy in February 2019 for defecting to the Congress just before Assembly polls in December 2018. The six-year tenure of Bhupathi Reddy was supposed to end in January 2022.
