Two TRS leaders raise banner of revolt

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is facing rebellion from some leaders who are unhappy over being denied ticket to contest the elections to Telangana Assembly.

Local TRS leaders in various districts have openly lashed out at the leadership. Two prominent leaders have raised a banner of revolt.

Former MP Ramesh Rathod has announced that he is resigning from the party while former minister Konda Surekha has declared that she is ready to contest as an independent candidate.

Surekha and Ramesh did not figure in the list of 105 candidates announced by TRS president and caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao shortly after dissolving the state Assembly on Thursday.

The TRS has withheld the names of the candidates for 14 constituencies including Warangal East, which Surekha represented in the dissolved Assembly.

Surekha told reporters on Saturday that the TRS leadership has "insulted" a woman leader of the backward classes. She along with her husband, a former legislator, Murali, slammed the leadership for not announcing her candidature.

Surekha, who was minister in Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy cabinet in undivided Andhra Pradesh, joined TRS on the eve of 2014 elections.

Surekha, a four-time legislator and one of the key leaders in Warangal district, alleged that TRS leadership wants to deny her the ticket.

Surekha said she won the previous election with a majority of 50,000 votes. She also claimed that TRS chief had gone back on the assurance to make her a minister.

She claimed that she can contest as an independent and win the election as her family enjoys people's support.

On the other hand, former Member of Parliament Ramesh Rathod, a former MP from Adilabad constituency, said he would soon decide about joining Congress.

Rathod had quit Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to join TRS last year. He was an aspirant of ticket from Khanapur Assembly constituency, but the party has announced Rekha Naik as the candidate.

He said he would contest from Khanapur. "Even if KCR contests from Khanapur, I will win the election," he said.

--IANS

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