Ahead of its August 20 public meeting in Munugode constituency, which is set for a byelection sooner than later, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leadership is grappling with dissidence like the main opposition Congress and is making efforts to douse it with a hope to contain the damage in time.
Although the Election Commission is yet to announce the byelection, three main political parties — TRS, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — are engaged in a break-neck speed political activity, including the aspirants and dissidents making their presence felt to the leaderships.
The ruling TRS, which is planning to wrest the seat it won in 2014 and to give a kick-start to its campaign has planned a public meeting in the constituency on August 20, a day ahead of BJP big wig Amit Shah’s public meeting. With some ‘surveys’ indicating ‘edge’ to the ruling party, the number of aspirants has gone up with the hope that a win now would also ensure them the party ticket for the next Assembly election.
Following reports of dissidence against front runner for the party ticket K. Prabhakar Reddy, who won the election in 2014 and lost to K. Rajgopal Reddy in 2018, gaining mass Minister for Energy G Jagadish Reddy held a meeting with the dissenting groups a couple of days back and even took some of the dissidents to party leadership to advise them to make amends with an assurance that every hard working leader would get his/her recognition in due course.
Even after that a group of party leaders reportedly met on Friday at an undisclosed place and resolved to represent the party against giving ticket Mr. Prabhakar Reddy. Another meeting was also held on Saturday with similar resolve. Responding to the reported meetings of dissidents, Mr. Jagadish Reddy alleged that BJP, particularly Mr. Rajgopal Reddy, was stoking dissidence but it would be addressed appropriately.
Meanwhile, K. Krishna Reddy, brother of TRS MLA of Nalgonda K. Bhupal Reddy and also an aspirant for Munugode ticket, is learnt to have been summoned by the party leadership on Saturday and during the discussion about the byelection he is learnt to have been directed to work for the success of the party irrespective of the candidature. Names of MLC and Chairman of Legislative Council G. Sukender Reddy, former MP B. Narsaiah Goud, another former MLC K. Prabhakar are also understood to be in the party leadership’s consideration for the candidature.
