TRS to focus on canvassing for LS polls

Unlike Assembly elections when it announced a majority of candidates on the day the Assembly was dissolved, the ruling TRS in Telangana may not declare nominees for the coming Lok Sabha elections early, according to party sources.

The party would focus on canvassing for the polls and not announce candidates even if there is unanimity within the party about the nominee, Telangana Rashtra Samithi sources said Wednesday.

The party is likely to announce its nominees for Lok Sabha elections only ahead of nominations, they said.

"The candidates will be selected by the party and party Chief KCR (K Chandrasekhar Rao) whenever it is required," they said.

Rao had announced candidates for 105 out of the 119 assembly seats on September six last year when the Assembly was dissolved prematurely.

Aiming to win 16 of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, the TRS had planned to hold preparatory meetings, to be addressed by its working president K T Rama Rao,from March one to gear up the party machinery.

However, Rama Rao announced postponement of the proposed meetings in view of the situation prevaling at the country's borders. The decision on when to organise the meetings would be taken in consultation with the party president, he said.

TRS MLC Palla Rajeswara Reddy told PTI Wednesday that the party activists would be informed of the welfare work done by the TRS government and individual MPs and they would spread the message in their own constituencies, he said.

TRS has been seeking 16 Lok Sabha seats in the state, leaving Hyderabad held by ally AIMIMs president Asaduddin Owaisi, to ensure a better deal for Telangana.

The party has returned to power by wresting 88 of the 119 seats in the December seven Assembly polls.

Claiming that neither the Congress nor BJP would get a comfortable majority after the Lok Sabha elections, Rama Rao had earlier said Telangana can dictate terms to the Central government if TRS wins 16 seats.

Meanwhile, TRS MP B Narsaiah Goud said the party appreciates the defence personnel who carried out air strikes against terror camps in Pakistan.

It would be 'Congress-mukt' Telangana in parliamentary elections and people are ready for it, he claimed.

Alleging that Telangana suffered whenever the Congress had won, he said the partys MPs would not be able to fight effectively for the states cause.

Telangana had an insignificant share of national highways during the previous Congress and TDP governments, but it got 3,600 km of national highways in the last five years due to the efforts of TRS MPs and Chandrasekhar Rao's leadership, he said.

He and other TRS MPs had introduced private members bills in Parliament, he said.

Congress MPs could not introduce any such bill though the party had 33 MPs (in undivided Andhra Pradesh) earlier, he claimed.

Hailing Chandrasekhar Rao's leadership, he claimed a permanent solution could be found to the Kashmir issue as well if there is a strong leader like KCR in the country.

"Kashmir problem would also get a permanent solution if there is a concrete, specific and strong leader like KCR in the country," he said.