MLC elections to be on June 1

Hyderabad: The Congress and the BJP-backed Telugu Desam fielded one nominee each for the polls. MIM has decided to back TRS.

Ministers, party chiefs and other senior party leaders were present when the candidates filed their nominations on Thursday. The scrutiny will take place on Friday; the last date for withdrawal is May 25 and polling will be on June 1.

Meanwhile, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee cried foul over the TRS’ decision to field a fifth candidate and alleged that there would be cross voting and TRS would indulge in horse trading.

But Mr Kadiam Srihari, one of the nominees, refuted the charge saying legislators from other parties had joined the TRS or were supporting the party, as they were attracted by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s programmes and policies and for the reconstruction of Telangana. “We are going to win all the five seats,” he asserted.

To win, each candidate will have to get the support of 19 MLAs. Meanwhile, there is a dispute over whether nominated MLAs have voting power or not. While TD says no, the TRS says yes.

In 2014 elections, in the 119-member Asse-mbly, TRS won 63, Congress21, Telugu Desam 15, MIM 7, BJP 5, YSRCP 3, CPI 1, CPM 1, Independent 1 and BSP 2. TRS, which had 63 MLAs originally, now has 75 MLAs following defection of 12 MLAs. — four each from Congress and the TD, two from the BSP and two from the YSR Congress.

Besides 75 MLAs, TRS has the backing of seven MIM MLAs and expects the backing of three more MLAs — one each from the CPI, CPM and the YSR, taking the total number to 85 MLAs. It needs five more MLAs or will have to plan in such a manner that it gets the right number of preferential votes.

The Congress, which had 21 MLAs originally, lost four MLAs to TRS. The TD too lost four MLAs to the TRS from its tally of 15.

Both Mr Nageswara Rao and Mr Kadiam Srihari have to be elected to either the Assembly or Legislative Council since Mr Nageswara Rao is not a member of any house and was directly given a Cabinet berth after quitting Telugu Desam and joining TRS while Mr Srihari was elected to Lok Sabha from Warangal.

Mr Kadiam Srihari said he would resign his Lok Sabha membership a week after his election to the Legislative Council. He had been included in the Cabinet post haste after Chief Minister Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao dropped former Deputy Chief Minister Mr T Rajaiah, a Madiga and also from Warangal district, following allegations to avoid trouble from the community members.

Mr Vidyasagar, who was in the Congress, quit the party and joined the TRS and served as deputy chairman of the Legislative Council. Mr Yadav Reddy too was an MLC from Congress.

The Congress and the TD faced rebellion over the allotment of tickets. While Congress leader Danam Nagender quit as city Congress chief for being denied a ticket, TD ex-MLC, A. Narsi Reddy too threatened to quit.