Krishna Rao joins TRS

No ill feelings towards TDP leadership

Hyderabad: With two days left for the MLC elections under MLA quota, the political heat in city has suddenly picked up. While the Congress and TDP have been trying to keep their flock together, the TRS seems to have pulled a coup and admitted Kukatpally TDP MLA Madhavaram Krishna Rao into the party fold.

Krishna Rao was escorted to the farm house in Medak district of the Chief Minsiter K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday morning by two senior ministers T Harish Rao and Talsani Srinivas Yadav before KCR left for Yadadrigutta. Later speaking to newsmen, Krishna Rao told media that he had quit TDP and joined TRS with a view to the interests of the people of Kukatpally Assembly constituency. He said he felt that it would be possible to develop the constituency much faster if he was in the ruling party.

He further said that he has no ill feelings towards TDP leadership. Chandrababu Naidu and his son Lokesh encouraged me a lot, he added. Interestingly, Rao was seen moving around actively during the three day Mahanadu which concluded at Gandipet on Friday evening.

TDP which has been keeping a close watch on the movements of some of the MLAs who were being lured by the pink party made a last ditch attempt to stop Rao from joining TRS. The party welfare committee coordinator Nara Lokesh made several efforts to reach out to Krishna Rao on his mobile but did not get any response.

It may be mentioned here that even on the day of filing of nominations for MLC elections, Rao had disappeared and surfaced only after three hours of repeated attempts by senior TDP leaders and that too when they sent an SMS to him saying that TRS was not fielding the fifth candidate.

Even before the party could reconcile to the loss, the statement of Manchireddy Kishan Reddy that two or three more Desam MLAs were ready to switch sides has come as another jolt and it is now maintaining a close watch on all its Assembly members. The party had 16 MLAs but with five quitting the party it is now left with just 11.

Soon after Krishna Rao joined TRS, the TTDP leaders met TBJP floor leader K Laxman and held consultations with him. Later Laxman said the TDP and BJP combine has strength of 16 MLAs and would easily bag one seat.

On the other hand, there is palatable nervousness in the Congress camp as well. The AICC which has been closely monitoring the developments on Friday sent two of its senior leaders Vylar Ravi and Gulam Nabi Azad to Hyderabad. It is learnt that these two leaders not only spoke to all the MLAs individually but also resorted to camp politics.

All the T Congress MLAs are said to have been taken to a resort on the city outskirts. They would go for polling to the Assembly on June 1 straight from the resort. In the meantime, the TRS despite being confident of winning the additional fifth seat is not willing to take any chance and has hence conducted a two day training camp for all its MLAs.

It had made it a point to ensure that none of the MLAs commits any technical mistake in voting which could mar the chances of the party’s fifth candidate. KCR has also designated five ministers with responsibility to see that no one indulges in cross voting.

By:V Ramu Sarma