TRS MLAs told to handle rebel threat

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is said to have told ministers and party legislators that they are responsible to ensure that rebels to stay away from the January 22 municipal polls. The rebels will be expelled from the TRS if they do not withdraw from the fray, he said.

Addressing ministers and MLAs at a meeting organised to finalise strategy for the municipal polls, Mr Rao said there could be trouble from rebel candidates as this is the last election for the next four years, all others having been completed.

Mr Rao had already cautioned in his first preparatory meeting that ministers will lose their Cabinet berths if the TRS loses any civic body in their respective districts.

Mr Rao asked the ministers, MLAs and party constituency incharges to assure the aspirants of nominated posts. If they still remain in the fray, they will be expelled.

Mr Rao was certain of the party winning 90 per cent of the 120 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations and asked the leaders to work together for the victory of TRS candidates.

The Chief Minister also pulled up certain ministers and MLAs who came late to the meeting. Among these, sources said, were ministers Etala Raje-ndar, S. Niranjan Reddy and Errabelli Day-akar Rao.

The meeting had started at 10.30 am as per schedule. During the meeting, Mr Rao handed over the ‘B’ Forms to MLAs and constituency incharges to be handed over to the selected contestants.