KCR to set pace for 2019 LS polls

​Hyderabad: Buoyed by the fresh poll victory, TRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is looking forward to Lok Sabha elections to be held in April 2019, aiming to win 16 of 17 seats in the State. In 2014 general elections, the TRS won 12 Lok Sabha seats. If the reports are anything to go by, KCR will concentrate on Lok Sabha polls more than on State administration in the next five months.         

Soon after the announcement of the results of State Assembly elections on Tuesday, KCR began the exercise to prepare a strategy for Parliament elections which are being considered crucial for him to make a foray into national politics. The TRS chief handpicked a few MPs and called them to his camp office, Pragati Bhavan, and enquired about their winning prospects.     
  
It is learnt that the TRS chief analysed the winning prospects of the incumbent MPs, including Khammam MP P Srinivas Reddy and Nalgonda MP G Sukhendar Reddy, who won on the YSR Congress and Congress tickets respectively, and switched loyalties to KCR. TDP MP from Malkajiri Lok Sabha segment Malla Reddy, who joined TRS, was elected MLA from the Medchal Assembly segment in the just concluded Assembly elections. 

Leaders said that KCR is planning to give party tickets to all the incumbent MPs just as the way he fielded a majority of the sitting MLAs. The TRS chief is scouting for suitable candidates for Malkajigiri, Secunderabad and Nagarkurnool . BJP leader Bandaru Dattraya won from Secunderabad and Congress leader Nandi Yellaiah won from from Nagarkurnool.  Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency is represented by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi. 

Since TRS considers MIM as a friendly party, the pink party may not field its candidate from Hyderabad this time. “KCR will call a meeting with the newly elected MLAs of all Lok Sabha constituencies and seek their feedback before finalising the candidates in a week or ten days, “ a source said.  

As KCR is getting busy with political activity again in the next five months, the Chief Minister instructed the top brass in the State administration to continue all the welfare and development programmes that were under implementation in his first term without any modifications until further orders issued. In a brief meeting with the top officials, KCR asked the officials to maintain fiscal discipline in view of increasing financial burden on the State exchequer once the promises made by TRS in the elections are implemented. 

It is learnt that the Chief Minister is likely to take a decision on the implementation of the promises, mainly the hike in pension amount and the filling of vacant posts in a two-month time.  Before facing the Lok Sabha elections in April or May, KCR will implement some promises to woo the voters.