Amid rumours of leadership change, TRS executive committee to meet on feb 7

Amid speculations that Chief

Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao might step down and make way for his son K T Rama Rao to the state's top post, the executive committee of the ruling TRS would meet here on February 7 to discuss various organisational matters.

The meeting would deliberate on matters including appointment of party committees from village level to the state level and election of its president, a TRS release said on Friday.

State ministers, MLAs, MPs, MLCs, chairpersons of Zilla Parishads, Mayors and others have been invited for the meeting which would be held on February 7 afternoon, it said.

"Party membership renewal, appointments of the party committees from village level to the state level, election of the party president, party's annual day meeting on April 27 and other institutional issues will be discussed at length," the release said.

The announcement on the Sunday meeting has triggered speculation of a possible change of guard as some party MLAs and other senior leaders have openly batted from Rama Rao taking over as chief minister from his father.

Speaking at a function on January 21, in the presence of Rama Rao, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly T Padmarao Goud addressed him as "the probable would-be Chief Minister of the state" and requested him to solve the issues of railway workers.

"On behalf of the Assembly, on behalf of all of us here, and on behalf of railway workers, I am conveying my congratulations to the would-be Chief Minister," Goud had said on January 21, amid applause during a programme of South Central Railway Employees Sangh.

However, Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, who was on the stage did not react to the deputy speaker's comments.

Earlier, state Animal Husbandry Minister T Srinivas Yadav asked what was wrong in KTR leading the state, when his attention was drawn to the comments made by a few MLAs on the issue.

Party MLAs Shakil Aamir Mohammed and Bajireddy Goverdhan had also spoken in favour of Rama Rao's possible elevation to the top post.

Rama Rao, who is the Working President of TRS, is minister for industries, municipal administration and IT in the state.

Though there was some talk in the past about the 44-year-old taking over the reins from his father, he had dismissed it and it was, probably, the first time that some leaders had spoken in public about making him the CM.

The suave Rama Rao is known for his development-oriented politics, especially in promoting investments in the growth of Hyderabad and other urban areas.