Hyderabad, June 23: A day after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the bypolls to 10 assembly seats in Telangana region, the ruling Congress and main opposition Telugu Desam Party have begun preparations in right earnest.
“Telangana is going to come. If I win this time, I may get a big post and help in expediting the process,” state Congress president D Srinivas, who is going to try his luck from Nizamabad seat, said.
Srinivas lost to his nearest BJP rival in last year’s assembly election. The bypoll to Nizamabad and nine other seats is necessitated as the BJP MLA Y Lakshminarayana quit in support of Telangana.
Seeking to gain a headstart in the campaign, Health Minister D Nagender said the TRS does not have a monopoly over Telangana.
“TRS does not have a monopoly over Telangana. How can they achieve Telangana statehood without the support of Congress. What is the guarantee that TRS members would not resign again in the name of Telangana,” Health Minister D Nagender told reporters here today.
Recalling that TRS MLAs and party president K Chandrasekhar Rao had quit several times in the name of Telangana, he asked is it proper for the sub-regional party to thrust elections on the people several times.
Congress MP from Karimnagar P Prabhakar said his party would not keep quiet if the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), students and others, who are campaigning for TRS, attempted to attack Congress over Telangana issue.
Meanwhile, TDP said it decided to contest the by-elections as the Congress decided to enter the fray.
Senior TDP leaders from Telangana region held a meeting today to discuss the party’s strategy for the elections.
In support of TRS, the JAC leaders, students, lawyers and other Telangana protagonists have been conducting active campaign.
The bye-elections are scheduled to be held on July 27.
–PTI–