Hyderabad: The Telangana unit of the Congress is keen to grab the only MLC seat it can get from the MLAs’ quota and is keeping a close watch on its legislators to ensure that they are not lured away by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
Sources in Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee say that they suspect five MLAs out of 19 may join the TRS. But in public, they express confidence that no MLA will leave the party. TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy is doing his best to ensure that his flock stays together.
Elections for five MLC seats from the MLAs’ quota will be held on March 12. The last date for filing nominations is February 28. The Congress-Telugu Desam combine will get one MLC seat. The TRS is contesting four seats and one seat will go to its friendly party, the MIM. Both Congress and TRS are confident of winning the fifth seat.
To win the fifth seat, the MIM candidate needs the support of seven MLAs in the first round.
TPCC sources said that Telugu Desam chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandra-babu Naidu has held discussions with two Telangana TD MLAs and asked them not to leave the party, and to support the Congress candidate. One of them is Mr Sandra Venkata Veerai-ah. There has been speculation for a long time that he may cross over to the TRS. But Congress leaders said that after discussions with Mr Naidu, Mr Veeraiah has changed his mind and will remain with the TD. But, according to some Congress leaders, if the TRS offers to make him a minister, he may switch sides.
The Congress, meanwhile, has settled on TPCC treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy as its MLC candidate from the MLAs quota. Mr Reddy is a close associate of TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy. The latter has started counselling Congress MLAs that it is in their best interest to stay in the party as the Congress will win in the Lok Sabha elections and they will have a bright future.
It seems all the Congress MLAs have said that they would stay in the party, but the truth of this will only be known closer to election time.
