Hyderabad: Several TRS leaders eye Council seats

Hyderabad: With more than half-a-dozen MLC seats getting vacant in the next month, many of the members of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi feel that they would get a second chance as the party is slated to get all these seats once again.

Seven seats will be getting vacant, including six under MLA quota and one under Governor's quota. While the existing members are expecting a second term, there are many aspirants waiting for a chance to enter the legislature. The party leaders are throwing their hat as the quota from which the members are going to get elected is safe with no chance of cross voting like in the case of the local body quota.

The MLCs whose term will end in June this year include the Council Chairman G Sukender Reddy, Vice-Chairman N Vidyasagar Rao and TRS senior leaders Kadiyam Srihari, Bodakunti Venkateswarlu, Mohd Fariduddin and Akula Lalitha.

Party leaders said that the party chief K Chandrashekar Rao would have to maintain balance in the allocation of MLC seats as he had promised seats to several leaders. Recently, the Chief Minister had promised MLC seat to Nalgonda leaders, who were aspiring for a ticket to contest Nagarjunasagar Assembly constituency bypoll. The Chief Minister had promised extension of term to member Tera Chinnappa Reddy and also a seat to Koti Reddy, after these leaders were approached by the Bharatiya Janata Party to offer ticket to contest Sagar bypoll.

As part of the election preparations, the State Assembly has already submitted a report to the Election Commission for the conduct of elections to the MLC seats under the MLA quota, and sources said that the elections were likely to take place next month.

A senior leader from TRS and present MLC said that he was keeping his fingers crossed and confident that he would get a second term. "I have been a loyal party worker and a committed leader. I have done nothing wrong during my tenure and think I will get another term as the MLC. However, all is in the hands of my boss," he said.