A meeting of the State executive of TRS to be held on Sunday afternoon after a long gap has assumed significance in the backdrop of the setback that the party suffered in elections to Dubbak Assembly constituency and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
It is also taking place amidst confusion in the cadre whether the party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will hand over the reins of power to his son and next in command K.T. Rama Rao. The upcoming by-election to Nagarjunasagar Assembly constituency has lent more credence to the meeting but sources said Mr. Rao was not expected to touch any of these issues as it was primarily called to discuss only organisational issues which will culminate with the election of the party president.
President’s poll was every two years till the constitution of party was amended to make it four years in 2017. However, the membership drive and constitution of committees of the party were retained at two years. Since all three issues were due in the current year and have to be completed before April 27, party’s foundation day, sources said Mr. Rao found it the right time to kick start the process.
Behind the veil, however, party cadre read the meeting as a platform for Mr. Rao to speak his mind on elevation of Mr. KTR as Chief Minister and elections to not only Nagarjunasagar Assembly constituency but Legislative Council from two graduates constituencies and Khammam and Warangal municipal corporations. It was also wildly rumoured that Mr. Rao will hand over the baton to Mr. Rama Rao on February 17, which is the former’s birthday.
Sources said Mr. Rao might confine himself to discussing the arrangements for the party plenary on April 27, which had not taken place in the last two years. They also shot down suggestion that he will air his views on the farm laws enacted by the Centre or the silence by TRS. After having supported the Bharat bandh call given by other Opposition parties, the TRS had not even given lip service to the agitation which put the cadre in a dilemma.
The executive was meeting at a time when the grass roots level TRS cadre was shifting loyalties to other parties, mainly BJP, following its recent successes. Mr. Rao was also keen to check this emerging trend.
The TRS was only known to get leaders from other parties so far.