KCR’s assurance of ‘tickets to sitting MLAs’ creates stir in TRS

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s assurance of tickets for all sitting MLAs led to heated debates in TRS circles on Wednesday, over the role and future of non-MLA ticket aspirants.

Many were also fearful of losing powerful leaders to the Congress or BJP, given that the Left parties are also seeking few tickets in a proposed alliance in the 2023 elections, following the Munugode success story.

The TRS currently has a strength of 104 MLAs in the 119-member Legislative Assembly.

As several leaders from Congress, BJP and TD also defected to the TRS over the past years, as part of its ‘Operation Akarsh’, there is already a multiplicity of serious contenders for several constituencies that preceded the Chief Minister’s statement on Tuesday.

Sources said that the CPI is reportedly seeking Wyra and Kothagudem Assembly seats in the undivided Khammam district, Husnabad seat in the undivided Karimnagar district, Munugode and Devarakonda seats in the undivided Nalgonda district, Kolhapur seat in undivided Mahbubnagar district, Bellampally seat in undivided Adilabad district, Nampally seat in Hyderabad district and Narsapur seat in Medak district.

Similarly, the CPM is reportedly seeking seven to eight seats in undivided Nalgonda, Khammam, Rangareddy and Adilabad districts, where it has a strong presence.

The seats sought by Left parties are all currently held by TRS leaders, who are also unsure of their future despite the Chief Minister’s assurance.
All non-MLA ticket aspirants were pinning their hopes on internal surveys commissioned by the Chief Minister, which reportedly found that 50 sitting MLAs were facing severe anti-incumbency and needed to be replaced for the 2023 polls. They are now unsure of their futures.

This apart, leaders in 12 constituencies, where Congress MLAs defected to TRS, and in two constituencies, where TD MLAs defected, are also keen on contesting the 2023 elections.

The general feeling in TRS circles is that it would be a Herculean task for the party leadership to convince these leaders to stay in the party if they are denied tickets.

The constituencies where Congress MLAs defected to the TRS include Tandur, where MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy beat Patnam Mahender Reddy, Maheshwaram, where minister Sabitha Indra Reddy beat Teegala Krishna Reddy and LB Nagar, where D. Sudheer Reddy beat M. Rammohan Goud.

A similar scenario persists in Kolhapur (MLA B. Harshavardhan Reddy v/s Jupally Krishna Rao), Asifabad (MLA Athram Sakku v/s Kova Laxmi), Pinapaka (MLA Rega Kantha Rao v/s Payam Venkateswarlu), Bhoopalapalli (MLA Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy v/s MLC Madhusudhana Chary), Kothagudem (MLA Vanama Venkateswara Rao v/s Jalagam Venkat Rao), Palair (MLA K. Upender Reddy v/s Tummala Nageswara Rao), Nakrekal (MLA Chirumarthi Lingaiah v/s Vemula Veeresham), Yellandu (MLA Haripriya Naik v/s K. Kanakaiah).

TD MLAs in Sathupalli, where Sandra Venkata Veeriah beat Pidamarthi Ravi, and Aswaraopeta, where Mecha Nageswara Rao beat Thati Venkateswarlu, also are in the same fix.