TRS improvising Operation Akarsh

Hyderabad: After hosting Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to the satisfaction to all international delegates, a turbo-charged Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has set his eyes on fortifying his Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) further by inducting leaders from other parties, particularly from the Congress and the TDP.

As part of the exercise, Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, who is coordinating party affairs at micro level, had a one-on-one meeting with Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday and is understood to have apprised him of his plans of spiriting away the leaders from the Opposition party. The TRS is eyeing leaders in the Congress in the erstwhile districts of Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Rangareddy, Khammam and Nizamabad.

Harish Rao’s closed-door meeting with KCR assumed significance in the wake of Alampur Congress MLA SA Sampath evincing interest in crossing the Rubicon and joining the pink brigade. Sampath met Harish Rao at Delhi on Wednesday and discussed the prospects of his future in the new political ecosystem.

Harish Rao is understood to have explained to KCR the outcome of his meeting with Sampath and the benefit that would accrue to TRS in Mahbubnagar as the Congress would be impoverished to that extent.

Harish Rao is said to have also apprised KCR the progress in the consultations with TDP leaders who find continuing in the yellow party too suffocating after A Revanth Reddy joined the Congress in search of greener pastures. As prospects of the Telugu Desam Party appear bleak in Telangana, the leaders left out are looking to TRS with a sense of hope and expectation.

Striking the iron while it is still hot, Harish Rao moved in swiftly into Kodangal constituency represented in the Assembly by Revanth Reddy, and is playing the role of a pied piper in luring the TDP workers into the TRS fold. Already several of Revanth's supporters are in the TRS camp and many more are on their way. KCR and Harish Rao discussed the pros and cons if a byelection takes place for Kodangal as Revanth is keen on forfeiting his Assembly membership by the end of December.

Even hardcore Congress leaders, including DK Aruna and Komatireddy Venkata Reddy appear to be showing signs of melting under the heat of TRS. According to sources, Harish is in touch with them to spirit them way at the opportune time. “KCR wants to field ‘strong’ candidates in the assembly constituencies where the TRS is weak. Nearly, 30 assembly constituencies have been identified where the TRS is struggling to improve its prospects,” a senior leader and minister said adding: “KCR has already ticked 30 sitting TRS MLAs off because they may not be able to win this time.

If they had won in 2014, it was because of the TRS wave that swept the countryside." The TRS chief began the exercise to identify suitable candidates based on survey reports he has commissioned. Harish Rao has been entrusted with the task of monitoring changing political equations in every assembly constituency particularly in South Telangana districts where the TRS is yet to emerge as a strong political outfit at the grass-root level. Sources said that a mass exodus of leaders from Congress and TDP into the TRS would take place after Sankranthi festival in January next year.