TRS leaders want KTR as bypoll in-charge in Munugode

HYDERABAD: TRS leaders from Nalgonda district met party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao here on Friday and requested him to appoint party working president and minister K.T. Rama Rao as election incharge for Munugode Assembly bypoll to ensure the party’s victory, it is learnt.

Sources said Chandrashekar Rao assured party leaders that he would look into the issue adding that he would soon set up the party's election and strategy committee for the Munugode bypoll.

It has been a tradition for the party to appoint minister T. Harish Rao as incharge whenever bypolls are held — Narayankhed in February 2016, Dubbak in November 2020 and Huzurabad in November 2021. The TRS won Narayankhed but lost the other two.

Rama Rao, on the other hand, was given the responsibility of ensuring the party's victory in the GHMC elections in 2016 and 2020. While the TRS secured a massive majority in the GHMC elections in 2016, it emerged as a single largest party in 2020 although its majority came down by nearly half of what it had in won in 2016.

After the Dubbak bypoll in October 2020, Chandrashekar Rao appointed neither Harish Rao nor Rama Rao as incharge for the Nagarjunasagar bypoll in Nalgonda district in April 2021. He entrusted the responsibility to energy minister G. Jagadish Reddy, who represents Suryapet in Nalgonda district. He was successful in securing victory for the TRS against Congress heavyweight K. Jana Reddy.

Now, the Munugode Assembly seat is heading for bypoll, which also falls under Nalgonda district. Jagadish Reddy has been leading the party's activities in Munugode by holding meetings with local leaders and cadres for the past two weeks. However, the local leaders now want Rama Rao to take charge.

Rama Rao worked as election incharge only for Palair Assembly bypoll in May 2016 in which TRS candidate Tummala Nageswara Rao won with a good majority. Rama Rao was later given the responsibility of ensuring the party's victory in municipal corporations of Khammam, Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad etc, a task he fulfilled.

It remains to be seen whether the Chief Minister opts for Jagadish Reddy again for Munugode bypoll or ropes in Rama Rao to achieve victory.