Hyderabad, March 10: If the reports of ‘secret understanding’ between TRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao and former Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy are true, then there is scope for cross-voting to benefit the TRS candidate in the forthcoming MLC elections under Assembly quota.
As many as 23 Congress MLAs have openly supported Jagan and even participated in his protest programmes targeting the Congress government. MLC elections have turned interesting as the ruling Congress and main opposition TDP also fielded their candidates over and above their strength in the Assembly. With a hope of cross-voting, the TRS with just 11 MLAs also fielded its candidate Mohammad Ali. About 29 votes are required to elect one MLC candidate.
According to party sources, the chances of TRS winning the MLC seat cannot be ruled out in the elections to 10 MLC seats under MLAs’ quota scheduled to take place on March 17. Already Jagan supporters who included ZPTCs, MPTCs and municipal corporators were making all out efforts to spoil the chances of ruling party candidates in the 9 MLC seats under local bodies quota. Jagan has decided not to field any of his candidate and called upon his supporters who include MLAs, ZPTCs and other local bodies public representatives to cast their vote as per their ‘wisdom’. Jagan supporters were also not keen on supporting the TDP. They are left with no option but to either support the TRS or the Congress.
In all, the Congress with 155 MLAs (plus three associate members) and its allies PRP (16 + two rebels) and MIM (7) can win six seats with ease, and is left with 22 more votes which are not sufficient to win the seventh seat.
As for the TDP with 91 MLAs, including two rebels, and support of left parties i.e. CPI (4) and CPM (1) can win three seats and still have another 15 votes. But the TRS with 11 MLAs and support from BJP (2 members) takes the total to 13.
The TRS still needs 16 MLAs support to win the seat. In the prevailing political situation, there is scope that the MLAs supporting Jagan may cast their vote in favour of the TRS.
–Agencies