Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is reportedly planning a strategic move against the Congress in the upcoming state legislative council elections under the MLAs’ quota.
The term of five MLCs - Mohd Mahmood Ali, Satyavathi Rathod, Seri Subhash Reddy, Yegge Mallesham, and Mirza Riyazul Hassan Effendi - expires on March 29.
The last date for filing nominations is March 10, and if polling is required, it will be held on March 20, with results declared the same day.
Under normal circumstances, the Congress is expected to secure four MLC seats, while the BRS has enough MLAs to ensure the victory of just one candidate.
Though the BRS initially won 39 out of 119 Assembly seats in the 2023 elections, it lost one seat in the Secunderabad Cantonment by-election, and 10 MLAs defected to the Congress. This has reduced the party's strength but still allows it to win one seat.
To counter the defectors, the BRS is considering fielding a second candidate. According to sources, KCR held a meeting with senior party leaders at his Erravelli farmhouse on Friday to discuss the strategy.
The meeting was attended by senior BRS leaders, including K. T. Rama Rao (KTR), T. Harish Rao, K. Kavitha, S. Madhusudhana Chary, Jagadish Reddy, Talasani Srinivasa Yadav, S. Niranjan Reddy, Padma Rao Goud, Puvvada Ajay, Srinivas Goud, and Dasoju Sravan.
The BRS, which has been advocating for penalties against defecting MLAs under anti-defection laws, is likely to issue a whip to all MLAs elected on a BRS ticket, directing them to vote for the party’s candidates.
This move will put the defected MLAs in a tough spot, as they have not yet been officially recognized as Congress MLAs in the assembly.
The BRS is expected to nominate a candidate from the SC, ST, BC, or minority communities to strengthen its stand.
According to sources, KCR is likely to field former IPS officer R S Praveen Kumar for the second MLC seat, with an official announcement expected by Saturday.