Hyderabad: In a sudden development, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao left for Delhi at 7.45 pm on Monday. He is likely to meet leaders of various parties as part of his efforts to forge an anti-BJP front in the runup to 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The Chief Minister’s sudden visit to Delhi has created a buzz in the party and political circles. There were no indications whatsoever either in the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) or in political circles about the Chief Minister leaving for Delhi on Monday until Chandrashekar Rao left for the airport.
The Chief Minister convened a meeting at Pragathi Bhavan on Monday to finalise the dates for holding the budget session of Legislative Assembly and Council. Ministers T. Harish Rao, K.T. Rama Rao, Vemula Prashanth Reddy and CMO officials were present in the meeting. The meeting started at around 3 pm and ended at 7.10 pm. The Chief Minister rushed to Begumpet airport soon after to leave for Delhi by a special flight.
The Chief Minister’s visit to Delhi at a time when the Assembly polls for five states have almost ended barring Uttar Pradesh where the final two phases of polling will be held on March 3 and 7 and counting of votes will take place in all the five states namely UP, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur on March 10.
Party sources said Chandrashekar Rao’s prime focus was on UP, where he wanted the BJP to lose and Samajwadi Party to win with a strong belief that if the BJP lost in UP, it would boost his ongoing efforts to bring all regional parties together against the BJP.
Rao is expected to meet Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during his Delhi trip and leaders of other parties based on their availability. It is not clear whether Chandrashekar Rao will proceed to other states from Delhi for the purpose.
Chandrashekar Rao is likely to camp in Delhi for a few days and likely to return before March 6 to attend the state cabinet meeting to approve the budget and take part in the budget session of the Assembly from March 7.
On March 8, the Chief Minister will launch Mana Ooru-Mana Badi programme to develop government schools in the state in Wanaparthy. He will later inaugurate the newly-constructed Integrated Collectorate Complex and the TRS district office in Wanaparthy and address a public meeting on the same day.
