Hyderabad: With the increasing dissidence in the party over official candidates, TRS president and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao intervened to solve this problem. Mr Chandrasekhar Rao held a teleconference on Thursday with party candidates. KCR told the candidates that it was the candidate’s responsibility to resolve the dissidence against them from the party leaders. He asked those candidates who were facing dissidence to discuss with their rivals and solve the problem.
He also directed the candidates to enrol voters in their respective constituencies. He asked them to set up booth level committees at the earliest. He asked the candidates to intensify the campaign. After announcing the 105 candidates, those party leaders who were denied tickets raised their voice against the official candidates. The dissident leaders are conducting meetings with their followers against the party candidates. In some constituencies the dissidence leaders are protesting against official candidates every day. The upcoming elections are crucial to the TRS at a time when the Congress is forming a grand alliance of like-minded parties to defeat the TRS.
The TRS leadership did not expect dissidence within the party after announcing the candidates. Ministers KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao are holding discussions with dissident leaders and convincing them. After noticing the seriousness of dissidence, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao decided to intervene himself. He had discussions with TRS MLA Nallala Odelu in the dissolved assembly who was denied a ticket from Chennur in Adilabad district.
Odelu who had locked himself inside his home and had threatened to take drastic steps in protest against the TRS for denying him a ticket, has turned loyalist to the party after he held discussions with Mr Chandrasekara Rao. Mr Chandrasekhara Rao told the candidates to resolve the dissidence in their constituencies; and if they failed he would intervene to solve the issue. TRS sources said if in any constituency, the party candidate was facing severe opposition from within the party, the high command could have a rethink and change the candidate at the last minute.
