KT Rama Rao to ensure Congress loses all LS seats

Hyderabad: The TRS is gearing up party machinery to prevent the Congress from winning any Lok Sabha seat in the state.

TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who has his eyes set on national politics in the post-poll scenario, is keen on his party winning 16 out of 17 seats in the state. He has left the Hyderabad seat to his ally, the AIMIM.

The TRS on Sunday announced that party’s working president K.T. Rama Rao will hold two preparatory meetings a day from March 1 to cover 16 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats the party will contest.

Party whip and MLC P. Rajeshwar Reddy told reporters that from March 1 to 11, the working president will hold meetings in 16 constituencies and each meeting will be attended by 15,000 workers and leaders of the party.

Sources in the party said the party chief and working president will concentrate on Khammam, Mahbubabad Bhongir, Chevella and Peddapalli Lok Sabha seats as the TRS had won only one Assembly segment in Khammam and three in Mahbubabad and five each in Chevella and Peddapalli. The party leaders are confident of regaining Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Mahbubnagar, as it had bagged all seven Assembly segments in these three seats.

During the 2014 elections, the TRS had lost in Nalgonda, Nagarkurnool, Secunderabad, and Khammam Lok Sabha seats. After the results, Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, who had won on a YSRC ticket, joined the TRS.

Nalgonda MP G. Sukhender Reddy had won the seat on a Congress ticket but shifted his loyalty to the TRS after the results. Though TRS candidate K. Vishweshwar Reddy won the Chevella MP seat, he quit the party just before the Assembly elections and joined the Congress.

With these developments, for the TRS leadership a win in Chevella is a prestige issue and it is working out a strategy.

Compared to 2014, the party position has considerably improved in Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar and Ranga Reddy districts and party leaders are confident they will get through in Adilabad.

Though the TRS had won only one Assembly segment in Khammam Lok Sabha seat, Independent candidate Mr L. Ramulu, who had won from Wyra segment, has already joined the TRS and Telugu Desam MLAs Mr Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and Mr M. Nageswara Rao from Sathupalli and Aswaraopeta segments respectively will also be looking at joining the TRS.

With the joining of the Independent MLA from Ramgundam segment under Peddapalli Lok Sabha, the strength of the TRS in the seat reaches to six segments.

Mr Rajeshwar Reddy said Mr Rao will commence his preparatory meetings from Karimnagar Lok Sabha and “these meetings are aimed at preparing party cadre and leaders and not for discussing selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls”.

He said the party chief will select candidates and the minister of the district concerned will be in charge of the meeting. In districts where there are no ministers, the party chief will take responsibility of preparatory meets.