Will stand by TRS, says Owaisi after meeting KCR

AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi Monday said the TRS will form the next government in Telangana on its own strength and his party will stand by it and its chief K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR).

After a three-hour long meeting with Rao a day ahead of counting of votes polled in the December 7 assembly elections, he discounted a scenario where his party would back out if BJP goes with TRS and said KCR was also confident of victory.

"On behalf of my party I met caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. I am pretty sure and confident and KCR 'saab' is (also) confident...that people of Telangana would once again bless KCR to the Chief Minister's post and he will form a new government based on his own strength", he told reporters here.

Asked if MIM would back out if BJP goes with TRS, Owaisi said "such a scenario would not be there. BJP had five seats (in the dissolved assembly), it will decrease...you see tomorrow by noon".

His remarks came in the backdrop of BJP hinting that the option of extending support to the TRS in case it falls short of numbers was not closed.

Earlier in the day, replying to a question on options before the BJP in case of a hung assembly, party national spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao told PTI that BJP certainly wanted a stable government.

"...in case of a hung assembly we will see who seeks our support, our support will certainly be not available for the Congress or the MIM," Rao, whose party had contested the polls alone, said.

Owaisi, who rode a motorbike to the "Pragati Bhavan", the camp office-cum-residence of the Chief Minister, said the TRS, which contested the polls on its own, would win a "large number" of seats.

"Tomorrow when the results will be declared K Chandrasekhar Rao will again become Telangana Chief Minister and there is no doubt in this regard and he will form the government without the support of anyone. MIM party stands by KCR and he would not require the support of our party," the Hyderabad MP said.

MIM was standing with KCR not only for a prosperous Telangana but also for nation building, he said adding his party had said before the elections itself that KCR will again become Telangana's CM. "The people of Telangana are with him".

On whether MIM would join the government, Owaisi said "We do not have any desire to be part of the government...we are "fakirs" and we have been working for the people. Our intention is peace should continue to prevail in Telangana and Telangana should progress more."