MLC polls to 6 seats on Nov 29

Hyderabad: After the by-election to the Huzurabad Assembly constituency held on Saturday, political heat is set to rise again in Telangana as the Election Commission has announced the schedule to conduct the biennial election to six MLC seats under the MLA quota in Telangana.

While many senior TRS leaders were already vying for the MLC post, TRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is trying to accommodate senior leaders and his confidants like former Assembly Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary, former Legislative Council Chairman G Sukhendar Reddy and TRS leaders L Ramana and M Narasimhulu.

As per the schedule announced by the Election Commission on Sunday, notification would be issued on November 9 and the elections will be held on November 29. The last date to file nomination is November 16 and November 22 will be the last date for withdrawal of the candidatures. The polling will be conducted between 9 am and 4 pm on the polling day and the counting of votes will also be done on the same day.

The term of the six TS MLCs – A Lalitha, Mohammed Fareeduddin, G Sukhendar Reddy, N Vidyasagar, B Venkateswarlu and Kadiyam Srihari ended on June 6 this year.

Due to the Covid pandemic, the commission has postponed the conduct of biennial elections in June on the request of the State Government.

TRS leaders said that KCR is keen to give the MLC post to former TDP Telangana unit president L Ramana who recently joined the TRS. BJP leader M Narasimhulu, who also switched loyalties to the TRS, is also likely to get the membership in the Legislative Council. As senior leader Madhusudhana Chary is tipped as new Council Chairman, sources said that Chary would also get an MLC post.

Former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao and former MP P Srinivas Reddy were also trying hard to get the MLC post. The two leaders met TRS working president KT Rama Rao recently for MLC seat, leaders said that senior leader Kotireddy from Nalgonda was already promised with MLC post during the bypoll campaign in the Nagarjuna Sagar Assembly constituency.

The TRS chief is likely to hold state party executive in November second week and finalise the names of the leaders for six MLC posts, leaders said that as the BJP and Congress lacked strength in the Assembly, the TRS candidates are likely to be nominated unanimously. Out of 119 MLAs in the House, the TRS has 101 and its friendly party AIMIM has seven members.