All not well in TRS as party braces for municipal polls

Hyderabad: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was facing a peculiar situation in regard to the ensuing municipal elections.

The Congress leaders and MLAs who joined TRS were promoting their followers as Chairmen nominees in the poll bound municipal corporations and municipalities leaving the local TRS leaders red faced.

The TRS leadership has asked the MLAs in the districts to take over the responsibility of the municipal elections. They were asked to ensure the selection and also the victory of the party candidate in the civic polls.

However, this has left the local TRS leaders unhappy as they feel that their followers were unlikely to get tickets.

There are many constituencies where the party leaders were said to be unhappy with the MLAs calling the shots by promoting their candidates for tickets and also municipalities.

According to sources, a battle of supremacy was going on between the new and old MLA of Tandur. During the Assembly elections last year, the Congress candidate P Rohit Reddy defeated the then Minister P Mahender Reddy.

Rohit Reddy later joined TRS along with other MLAs and this led to upper hand of the MLA over Mahender Reddy, who is MLC now. Sources said that Mahender Reddy was upset as Rohit Reddy was encouraging his followers assuring chairperson's post to them.

Sources also said that there was a similar situation in Kollapur where there have been confrontations between the followers of MLA B Harshvardhan Reddy and former Minister J Krishna Rao.

There were clashes between followers of both the leaders even during the MPTC elections. The party leaders said that the followers of both the leaders are promoting their own candidates for the municipal elections.

Similarly, in Kodada, Md Jani who joined TRS from Congress is claiming to be the candidate for chairman of municipality whereas TRS leader Babu is also aspiring for the post.

With tussle between the MLAs and party in-charges growing in the districts, the leaders at local level were threatening to fight the elections against the party if they are not given party tickets and posts.

However, the TRS leaders said that the party leadership would take a call if there are any issues locally.

The MLAs have been asked to consult the MPs and district Ministers for clarity and the final call would be taken by party's working president K T Rama Rao, said a senior TRS leader.