BRS Curbs Powers of Dropped MLAs

HYDERABAD: Incumbent legislators who were dropped from the list of candidates for 115 Assembly segments announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao have had their powers curbed, as beneficiaries selected by these MLAs for government schemes have been put on hold.

Sources said that oral instructions were issued by collectors of the respective districts to officials concerned not to finalise the selections made by BRS MLAs who were denied tickets. Collectors reportedly gave the directions on the directions of the state government as these MLAs are expected to join opposition parties or contest as rebels.

Instead, in these constituencies, the task of selecting beneficiaries has been given to incharge ministers, who were asked to select the beneficiaries recommended by the candidates who replaced the incumbents.

The incumbent MLAs dropped were of Station Ghanpur, Uppal, Asifabad, Vemulawada, Boath, Wyra and Khanapur. Candidates for Jangaon and Narsapur, which are represented by BRS MLAs, have also been kept pending.

The incendiary comments made by Malkajgiri MLA Mynampally Hanumantha Rao against minister T. Harish Rao have also not gone down well with the party, with the legislator, although allotted a ticket in the initial list, set to be expelled from the party soon.

Sources said that the dropped legislators are angry with the party and are ready to jump ship to the Congress or the BJP if they are promised tickets. They are also exploring the possibility of contesting as independents, if they fail to secure a Congress or BJP ticket.

The move to curb their powers comes after the new candidates complained to the party leadership that allowing the MLAs to select beneficiaries in these segments would prove detrimental to them in the polls.

MLAs were given powers to select 1,100 beneficiaries for the second phase of Dalit Bandhu to extend Rs 10 lakh benefit to each, 300 beneficiaries for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, to extend Rs 3 lakh each, Rs 1 lakh each for 300 beneficiaries under BC Bandhu and Rs 1 lakh each for 300 beneficiaries under Minority Bandhu, in each Assembly constituency.

Similarly, MLAs were given powers to recommend beneficiaries for Kalyana Lakshmi, Shaadi Mubarak and CM Relief Fund (CMRF) schemes too.

With this, thousands of applicants are running around MLAs’ offices to secure the benefits, with legislators using the opportunity to seek their support in the polls.