TRS changes Huzurabad byelection tack

Hyderabad: The campaign strategy for the Huzurabad by-election seems to have undergone a change. It is learnt that the party leadership has decided to put the onus of victory on the old timers in TRS who are popularly known as Udyama Telangana leaders.

It may be mentioned here that for some time UT leaders have been unhappy with the way the TRS leadership had been giving greater importance to those who migrated from the Telugu Desam Party. The latest entry is L Ramana who has been the TDP state president for the past six years. All these lateral entities have been nicknamed as Bangaru Telangana batch by those who were part of the agitation for separate Telangana.

In view of the growing dissension among the original TRS leaders that the domination of those who came from TDP had increased and they were going overboard in criticising former minister Eatala Rajender, the party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao has now asked the 'BT' batch to remain dormant during their visits to the constituency and give more space to the original party leaders.

The leaders who were part of the agitation believe that Rajender should not have been subjected to humiliation, said a TRS leader who has been with the party since the agitation days.

BC Welfare Minister Gangula Kamalakar, who was very vocal against Rajender ever since the latter was dropped from cabinet, has now gone silent. Sources said that the party leadership has asked him to tone down his campaign and was asked to do the background work instead of going to the people. Interestingly, Kamalakar during his campaign in Karimnagar rural on Saturday listed out the welfare schemes launched by the government and said Chandrababu should be blessed for launching all these schemes. However, he later corrected his mistake and said KCR should be blessed.

Sources said that KCR had also asked ministers E Dayakar Rao and Talasani Srinivas Yadav not campaign.

The Udyama leaders have been sympathetic towards Eatala Rajender and recalled his role during the agitation and his performance both inside and outside the Assembly. One of them said that Rajender should have met Chief Minister KCR and discussed with him and should have sorted out issues if any.

Party leaders said that now Minister T Harish Rao and other MLAs who were part of the agitation are taking up the responsibility for direct campaign to ensure the victory of the party candidate in the by-election as and when it takes place.