Election of T Council Chairman today

• Swamy Goud files nomination on behalf of TRS Congress fields Farooq Hussain Ruling party seems set to win

Hyderabad: The Telangana Legislative Council will meet here on Wednesday to elect a new Chairman in the backdrop of defection of MLCs from the Congress and the TDP to the ruling TRS party.

TRS leader in the Council Swami Goud filed his nomination for the Chairman's post and the Congress too fielded its member Farooq Hussain to counter the ruling party.

The Council has strength of 40. The Congress's tally fell to 12 after five of its legislators joined TRS. With two TDP and two teachers' union MLCs also defecting to its side, the TRS' number rose to 15. The TDP now has four members in the Council, while the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) has two. The Progressive Democratic Front and the Telangana Rashtriya Lok Dal have one member each. Given the odds, the Congress looks set to lose the Council Chairman’s post to the TRS.

Meanwhile, Swamy Goud sought co-operation of opposition parties for his unanimous election as Chairman of Telangana Legislative Council. He promised to discharge his duties without favoritism to any party including TRS. He said if elected, he would give equal importance even if a party has one single member.

He said, having been an active employees’ leader and having played a key role in the T agitation, he had seen how agitators were not allowed to enter premises of Assembly on previous occasions. “This is not only an honor for me but also to Telangana protagonists who took part in the movement,” he said. Swamy Goud made an earnest appeal to opposition parties to support his candidature since he was an active participant of statehood struggle. He felt that there should be no difference of ideologies among parties since goal of everyone was development of Telangana.

On the other hand, the Congress nominee Farook Hussain who also filed his nomination today said that he would meet all the members irrespective of parties and would seek their cooperation. He said he being a representative of minority community and who has been in active politics for about three decades, he has good legislative experience. He said he would also meet the MIM and seek their support.