KCR reviews cash-for-vote

​Hyderabad: In a significant development, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday reviewed the progress of investigation into the infamous cash-for-vote scam that shook both AP and Telangana states in 2015.

Interestingly, the Chief Minister's review comes in the wake of renewed attack on him by Congress leader A Revanth Reddy who, when he was in the TDP, allegedly acted as a middleman between AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and a TRS MLA Elvis Stephenson to persuade the latter to vote in favour of a TDP candidate in 2015.

The emergency meeting between KCR and the top cops assumed political significance after the TPCC delegation led by its president N Uttam Kumar Reddy met Governor ESL Narasimhan earlier in the day and demanded revocation of expulsion notification issued against its two legislators – Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and SA Sampath Kumar. Recently, the High Court set aside the removal of the two MLAs by Assembly Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary and directed the government to reinstate them as members of the Assembly.

The Telangana Chief Minister's meeting was attended by state DGP (Director General o Police) M Mahender Reddy, ACB Director General J Purnachandra Rao and former ACB official AK Khan. 

Sources said that the ACB officials briefed the Chief Minister the findings of the forensic report prepared by the investigating agency probing the scam. Revanth Reddy was caught on video tape while offering bribe to Stephenson.

Though it is alleged that Chandrababu Naidu spoke to the MLA over phone, it has not yet been established if it was Chandrababu Naidu's voice. 

Recently, Revanth Reddy joined the Congress, after realising that the Telugu Desam in Telangana is a dead duck. Sources said that KCR instructed police officials to hasten the investigation and take action against the accused. A major development in the case is said to take place in a day or two, sources said.