TRS to go slow on taking turncoat MLAs into party

HYDERABAD: With only days to go for the MLC elections under the MLA quota to be held, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) appears to have changed its strategy on immediately inducting MLAs from other parties.

Instead of taking them into the party now, the TRS has decided to wait till the MLC elections are over. Those legislators wanting to join the ruling party are to be told to vote for the TRS MLC candidates (cross voting) in the polling on March 12 but wait for some more time to be officially admitted into the ruling party’s ranks.

The decision has been reportedly taken by the TRS leadership to avoid any legal issues consequent to any opposition legislator joining the party and also due to indications that the Congress party would intensify its agitation following the announcement of two Congress MLAs joining the ruling party.

It may be recalled that last week, two Congress MLAs Atram Sakku from Asifabad and Rega Kantha Rao from Pinapaka assembly constituencies and TDP MLA Sandra Venkata Veeriah from Sathupally constituency, announced their inclination to join the TRS. They also said they were ready to quit their membership and contest on the TRS ticket if required. After their announcement, the Congress party protested and alleged that their MLAs were being lured and purchased by the ruling party. Because of this, the two Congress MLAs have postponed their official joining in the TRS for now.

The TRS is confident of winning all the seats as the MLC elections polling will be held under secret ballot. “Rajya Sabha elections are held under open ballot, where all parties can see which of their MLA has voted to which candidate whereas the MLC elections are held under secret ballot. In such cases, despite issuing a whip, respective parties will not be able to ascertain as to which wahy their legislator voted,” an official who is overseeing the election arrangements told TOI.

For winning all the five MLC seats (four TRS candidates and one All Indian Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen candidate) under the MLA quota, the TRS needs the support of 105 MLAs. While it won 88 seats in the recently held assembly elections, two MLAs (one independent and another All India Forward Bloc MLA) joined the TRS. With three MLAs having announced their support and one nominated MLA in their kitty, plus the seven legislators of AIMIM, the TRS and AIMIM-combine has the support of 101 candidates.

Sources said the party is of the hope that seven to eight MLAs from other parties are ready to support TRS candidates in the MLC elections. BJP has decide to abstain from the polling as it neither supports TRS nor Congress.