HYDERABAD: All eyes will be on the BRS on Saturday morning as its MLAs-elect will meet at Telangana Bhavan, the party headquarters, to elect their Assembly floor leader.
Saturday’s BRS meeting will, however, not have the presence of party president and former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao who was hospitalised late on Thursday night with a broken hip and underwent a hip replacement surgery at a private hospital on Friday.
Chandrashekar Rao, who has been advised rest for at least six to eight weeks and is expected to stay away from Assembly proceedings during this period.
While speculation was rife on who would be the BRS Legislature Party leader, with the names of the party’s working president K.T. Rama Rao, and even party leader Kadiam Srihari doing the rounds, it is expected that the newly elected, and re-elected ,party legislators could insist on Chandrashekar Rao as their leader in the Assembly, and also as Leader of the Opposition. Between 2014, and 2023, as Chief Minister, Chandrashekar Rao was also the leader of his party in the Legislature.
However, with Chandrashekar Rao expected to be away for two months or so, party sources said there could be a chance that someone else, likely Rama Rao, could be elected as BRSLP leader. The party could also spring a surprise electing someone from outside the Chandrashekar Rao family as its leader in the Assembly, though the chances of this occurring are remote, party sources said.
If this does happen, it would not be the first time that someone who is not from Chandrashekar Rao’s family will head the party in the Assembly. In 2004, it was led by G. Vijaya Rama Rao and later, from 2009, it was led by Etala Rajendar who is now with the BJP.
The BRS, which won in 39 seats, will be the principal Opposition party with the second largest seat share after the Congress which won 64 seats. The third largest party will be the BJP with eight, and the AIMIM following it with seven MLAs. The lone MLA from CPI who won the election did so in alliance with the Congress.
