A day after AICC president Rahul Gandhi addressed a public meeting, the Congress party received a big jolt with some of its MLAs ‘deciding’ to leave the party and join the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
Congress leaders feel Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is using his might to ensure that at least seven MLAs leave the party to escape the Anti-Defection law. The law will not be applicable if one-third members of a party join other political party as a group claiming that they are no more with the party they were elected on.
The Congress won 19 constituencies in the last Assembly elections and four MLAs have already expressed their intention to join the TRS — Aatram Sakku, Rega Kantha Rao, Chirumarti Lingaiah and Haripriya Naik. As the MLC elections near the number is likely to increase.
Maheshwaram MLA and former Home minister Sabita Indra Reddy is apparently in talks with the TRS and is likely to join if it cedes to her demand that her son Karthik Reddy is allotted Chevella Parliament seat.
‘No promises made’
Sources said she met TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao at the residence of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday with her demands. However, the party has reportedly finalised the name of Ranjit Reddy for Chevella and no promise was made to her.
If she joins all that the TRS needs is two more MLAs so that legally all of them can join the TRS as a group. “This is not a big issue at all as the TRS with its might and power can easily attract the required numbers,” a senior leader admitted.
In case the TRS fails to attract the required numbers, the Chief Minister will not hesitate to ask these MLAs to resign and contest on TRS party ticket. This may happen soon after the MLC elections, under the MLAs quota, are conducted on March 12. Since the election notification is yet to be released the government may request for bypolls in the constituencies vacated by the Congress MLAs, senior leaders suggested.
Bypolls unlikely
In the present political atmosphere where the TRS looks invincible all of them are likely to be elected easily. However, a senior leader revealed that that situation may not arise as the TRS will get the required seven MLAs easily and the bypolls are unlikely.
The Congress looks helpless to stop the flow to the TRS and senior leaders have just confined themselves to condemning the defections and doing little at the ground level to infuse confidence among the party activists.