Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday discussed the upcoming elections to five MLC seats under the MLA quota with the party’s top leaders at his residence. He reportedly decided to field candidates for four of the five seats going to polls on March 20.
The MLC election issue was discussed after AICC in charge of Telangana, Meenakshi Natarajan, along with TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, called on the CM at his residence. Deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka and irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy also attended the meeting.
“An in principle decision was taken to contest four seats. As of now, the exercise to finalise the candidates for four seats has begun. The top leaders will meet again in a day or two to finalise the candidates, which will be sent to AICC for approval,” a senior leader, privy to the meeting, said.
Going by the numbers, Congress can win three seats easily and BRS one. Congress would need the votes of 10 turncoat BRS MLAs and also AIMIM support to win the fourth seat. The issue of CPI, a pre-poll ally of the Congress, and AIMIM, which is extending issue-based support to the ruling party in the state, also seeking MLC seats, came up at the meeting. The AICC leadership informed TPCC that CPI central leaders approached them and reminded them that the grand old party promised two MLC seats during the formation of an alliance with the left party ahead of the 2023 assembly polls.
Even AIMIM is seeking an MLC seat, although aspirants from Congress were exerting pressure on the party leadership to promise both CPI and AIMIM that they would be given berths in the Upper House in the future and fill up the four seats with party loyalists. She also suggested that social justice should be followed.
During the meeting, Meenakshi Natarajan informed Revanth Reddy of the feedback she got from the review meeting held with Medak and Malkajgiri parliamentary constituencies leaders. She noted that the gap between turncoats and party workers, seniors, and party cadres needs to be bridged. She also said the party leaders and cadres need to do their legwork in taking the success of the Congress govt in conducting the caste survey and SC categorisation. She emphasised that hardworking party loyalists should be given priority in filling up MLC posts. Later, a delegation of CPI leaders met the CM and urged him to give two MLC seats as promised.