KCR likely to contest LS, Assembly seats

HYDERABAD: Even though chief minister and TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to move to national politics, in all probability, he will simultaneously contest the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.  

According to sources in the ruling party, Rao will contest both LS and Assembly elections in 2019 as he had done in the 2014 general election when he won the Medak Lok Sabha seat as well as the Gajwel Assembly seas by  thumping majority. Later, he gave up the Lok Sabha seat.

“This time too, Rao will contest LS and Assembly seats. He might opt for Nalgonda Lok Sabha seat as he wants to administer a body blow to the Congress in the erstwhile united Nalgonda district to which TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy, leader of the opposition in the Assembly K Jana Reddy and senior leader Komatireddy Venkat Reddy belong,” a top TRS leader disclosed here on Wednesday.

Rao’s efforts to build an alternative political platform for bringing about a “qualitative change” in national politics will be intensified after the budget session of the state legislature. “Normally, Rao does not move out of Hyderabad when the Assembly is in session. Rao will intensify his efforts for a  national level front, most probably to be named Federal Front, only after the budget session of the Assembly,” the sources said.
The TRS Formation Day will be held on April 27 and the party’s plenary will be held a few days earlier. Rao might announce the launch of the new front either at the plenary or on April 27, BC welfare minister Jogu Ramanna said.

Ramanna said KCR’s federal front proposal was eliciting good response. “The CM is working with a plan to launch the front at TRS plenary Leaders of regional parties, who are likely to support the new front, will be invited to the plenary,” he said. “Rao himself proposed to set up a separate ministry for OBCs at the central level when he was Union minister. Though prime minister Narendra Modi belongs to OBCs, he has failed to help the OBCs and BCs,” Ramanna alleged and criticised the Centre’s silence on the state Assembly’s resolution seeking reservation for BCs in legislative bodies.

TRS MPs continue stir in LS for third day

Hyderabad: For the third consecutive day, TRS MPs led by K Kavitha staged protests inside and outside Parliament on Wednesday demanding that States be empowered to hike quota for reservations to various sections of people in jobs in each State as per their population ratio.

As soon as the Lok Sabha sat for transacting its business on Wednesday, the TRS members trooped into the well of the House, demanding the Centre accept their plea to transfer powers to States to enhance reservations quota being provided to various sections in each State as per local demographic needs. Soon after the adjournment of the House, TRS members continued their protests outside Parliament by holding placards in support of their demand.

  Later, party MP AP Jithender Reddy said, “We will continue our protests on Thursday also to exert pressure on the Centre to amend the Constitution providing powers to all the States to increase quota of reservations as per population ratio in each State.”