Four TRS candidates, 1 of ally win TLC elections

Four candidates of the ruling TRS and a nominee of its ally AIMIM won the election (MLAs quota) to fill five vacancies in the Telangana Legislative Council on Tuesday, which was boycotted by the main opposition Congress.

TRS nominees Mohd Mehmood Ali, who is also the Home Minister, Seri Subhash Reddy, Satyawati Rathod and Yegge Mallesam and AIMIM candidate Mirza Riyaz ul Hasan Effendi emerged victorious in the poll, legislative sources said.

The total number of votes polled was 98 in the 120 member House (including nominated MLA).

Mehmood Ali, Subhash Reddy and Rathod got 20 votes each, while Mallesam and Effendi obtained 19 each, they said.

The 22 absentee members included Congress (19), TDP (2) and BJP (1).

The Council election generated political heat following the decision of four Congress MLAs and a TDP MLA to switch over to the ruling TRS in the run-up to the poll.

Banking on the support of its 19 MLAs and the two TDP members, Congress had fielded a nominee.

However, the party's strength came down to 15 from 19 following the decision of the four MLAs to join TRS.

The strength of TDP got reduced to one after the other MLA decided to move to TRS.

Alleging that TRS had adopted unconstitutional and unethical means to encourage defection of its MLAs, Congress on Monday had announced it would boycott the poll.

TDP has also announced that it would not participate in the election.

TRS had won 88 MLAs in the December 7 2018 Assembly elections. An independent MLA and an AIFB legislator had declared support to the ruling party.

The AIMIM has seven MLAs.