Telugu Desam helps Telangana Rashtra Samithi clinch post

Hyderabad: The ruling TRS on Sunday succeeded in winning the Ranga Reddy Zilla Parishad chairperson’s post after coming to an understanding with the Telugu Desam. Patnam Suneetha Reddy, the wife of state transport minister Patnam Mahender Reddy, was elected for the second time as chairperson after she got 21 votes in the 33-member Ranga Reddy Zilla Parishad with the seven-member TD supporting her candidature.

In return, the TRS supported TD’s K. Prabhakara Reddy for the ZP vice-chairman’s post. In the ZPTC polls, no party secured absolute majority to win the ZP chairperson’s post on its own and the situation necessitated an understanding between two of the three parties — TRS, TD and the Congress.

In fact, the Congress and the TD had come to an understanding earlier this month for helping each other in Mahbubnagar, Ranga Reddy and Warangal Zilla Parishads to share the chairman and vice-chairman’s posts and keep the TRS at bay.

However, the election of Ranga Reddy ZP chairperson was postponed to Sunday as there was no quorum to hold the meeting last time as the deal between the Congress and the TD could not be finalised.

TRS leaders used all their skills and managed a division among the elected members of both the Congress and TD and got TRS nominees elected for both Warangal and Mahbubnagar Zilla Parishads. When it comes to the Ranga Reddy Zilla Parishad, Mr Mahender Reddy played a key role in striking a deal with Telugu Desam members and offered the ZP vice-chairman’s post in lieu of their support to the TRS nominee for the chairperson’s post.

Mr Mahender Reddy, who was elected four times from Tandur Assembly on a TD ticket before joining the TRS and getting elected again, used his influence with his old colleagues and finally struck the deal.

It may be mentioned here that irrigation minister T. Harish Rao had earlier questioned the credibility of the Congress in striking a deal with the TD, which is perceived as an “anti-Telangana” party. However, that did not stop the TRS from having an understanding with the TD on Sunday.