It is a classic case of old versus the new, dissent versus one-upmanship that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leadership is witnessing in the party though it is confident of staging a comeback in the next general elections.
Old Vs new
Grumbling among senior party members from Nizamabad is not an exception. No confidence motions tabled in at least six municipalities and one municipal corporation are proof.
While leaders claiming to be the real ‘flag bearers’ of the party are distraught, bitter power struggle among sitting legislators, defectors and other aspirants for control over their constituencies is a big headache ahead for the leadership with elections barely nine months away.
The recent incident of demanding expulsion of Rajya Sabha member D. Srinivas by the Nizamabad district leadership led by MP K. Kavitha brought the differences into the open. Even before the leadership could resolve the issue, TRS politburo member A.S. Poshetty launched a broadside against the local leadership claiming that newcomers were hogging the limelight at the expense of those who made sacrifices for a separate State.
All pervading dissent
Party seniors concede discontent is brewing in a dozen districts due to differences among local leaders. The case in point is the recent developments in the erstwhile undivided Khammam district where local strongmen like Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Jalagam Venkat Rao and Puvvada Ajay Kumar are trying to protect their respective hold at a time when some leaders sent feelers about their intention to contest from a particular constituency much to the chagrin of sitting members.
Examples? Khammam MP Srinivas Reddy is reportedly keen to contest from Kothagudem Assembly seat, represented by Mr. Venkat Rao while Mr. Ajay Kumar is said to be facing strong competition from Mr. Tummala, who is eyeing the Khammam Assembly seat.
In erstwhile undivided Warangal, the party’s stronghold, it is witnessing intense infighting now spilling on to the streets. The running feud between MLA Konda Surekha and Warangal Mayor Nannapaneni Narender could exacerbate going by the whispers that the Konda couple may switch their loyalties and are strongly pitching for a ticket for their daughter from Bhupalpalli, held by Speaker S. Madhusudhana Chary.
Further, differences between Mahabubabad and Dornakal MLAs where former Congress MLA Maloth Kavita, daughter of Dornakal MLA Redya Naik, is making a strong pitch for replacing incumbent Shankar Naik, say observers. Yellandu, Parkal, Narasampet, Station Ghanpur, Wardhannapet, Bhupalpalli, Jangaon and Mulug constituencies are witnessing unprecedented infighting among the TRS leaders.
Same is the situation in Manakondur, Khanapur, Alampur, Thugathurthy, Achampet, Sirpur, Khairatabad, Goshamahal, Aler, Chevella and Uppal constituencies.
One-upmanship
The party top brass isn’t blind to the internal rivalry in Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda, Karimnagar, Adilabad, Kumram Bhim Asifabad, Mancherial, Suryapet with complaints that some top leaders were meddling too much in the local affairs.
Heartburn among sitting MLAs in constituencies which saw migration from the TDP, Congress and other parties and the latter’s one-upmanship is another cause of concern for the leadership. For the record, the TRS won 63 seats on its own in 2014 but as many as 12 TDP, eight Congress, three YSR Congress, one CPI and two from the BSP joined the ruling party. Trouble is brewing in all the constituencies where defectors joined the TRS. Mr. Poshetty told The Hindu those who worked since the party’s inception have become non-entities while defectors and those with money power are dominating the party. The former are keeping silent fearing action by the leadership.