Rat race for Council seats begins in TRS

Hyderabad: Even as the notification for filling up of the six council seats is slated to be released on Tuesday, the ruling party leaders have intensified their efforts to get entry into the Council with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi sure of grabbing all the six seats.

The Election Commission of India would be releasing the schedule for the biennial elections to Telangana Legislative Council on Tuesday. Though there are just six seats, there are many aspirants and they are trying hard to get into the Council as these seats would be filled under the MLA quota. According to sources, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is taking up the exercise of identifying suitable candidates for the posts. When asked about candidates' selection during the press conference on Monday, the Chief Minister said that there was time left as November 16, was the last date for filing nominations and the candidates would be announced then. Sources in the party said the CM has decided to maintain caste balance in the allocation of posts by taking BCs, Reddy, SCs and Velama community into consideration. Sources said that the names of former Assembly Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary, former TDP leader who joined TRS recently L Ramana and BC leader PL Srinivas, Telangana Most Backward Classes (TMBC) Chairman Taduri Srinivas were in the list of front runners for the post under the BC category.

In the upper caste Reddy community, the names of Gutha Sukender Reddy, Padi Kaushik Reddy, Koti Reddy, party general secretary R Shravan Reddy, TRSLP Secretary Ramesh Reddy, SATS Chairman A Venkateshwar Reddy's names were doing rounds. It is learnt that Gutha and Akula Lalitha are sure to get the posts. Kaushik Reddy, who was nominated under Governor's quota, was kept under consideration by the Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan. The party leaders said that Kaushik Reddy may be given the post under MLA quota. Similarly, the CM had assured Koti Reddy of giving Council post during the Nagarjunsagar bypoll. Under the SC category, the names of former Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari and Erolla Srinivas were doing rounds. For another post, the name of Tekkalapally Ravinder Rao, from Velama community, was doing rounds. There are other names like OSD of Chief Minister Deshapati Srinivas, former Beverages Corporation chairman G Devi Prasad and former MP Sitaram Naik also doing rounds.

The last date for filing nominations is November 16, while scrutiny would be taking place on November 17. November 22 is the last date for the withdrawal of candidature and polling, if necessary, would be taken up on November 29.