Lok Sabha elections: With MLAs looking up to TRS, Congress stares at grim future

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Congress has a herculean task on its hands of winning back the trust of voters in the Lok Sabha polls after tasting a humiliating defeat in assembly elections. Making matters worse for Congress, the TRS has been successful in engineering defection of four Congress MLAs and one TDP legislator in recent times. It is not over yet, as a few more Congress MLAs are in touch with the TRS leadership and may jump the fence any time.
Of the 17 LS constituencies, Congress does not have a single MLA in six constituencies — Adilabad, Nizamabad, Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar, Hyderabad and Secunderabad.The situation is so bad that it can be gauged from the fact that senior leader and former MP Madhu Yashki Goud’s name is now being considered for Bhongir, since Nizamabad is seen as “not safe” from where he had won when YS Rajasekhara Reddy was the CM in the undivided state. K Kavitha represents the Nizamabad seat.

The Congress has just one MLA each in eight LS seats of Adilabad, Malkajgiri, Medak, Nagarkurnool, Peddapalli, Warangal, Zahirabad and Nalgonda. Adding to its woes, its MLA Atram Sakku from Asifabad in Adilabad LS constituency recently bade goodbye to the party and is set to join TRS.
Until recently, Congress boasted of having two MLAs each in Bhongir and Chevella, three in Khammam and four in Mahabubabad LS constituencies. But, unrelenting efforts of TRS to lure Congress MLAs have dealt a major blow on its poll prospects in Bhongir with Nakrekal MLA Chirumarthi Lingaiah announcing his decision to join TRS and Rega Kantha Rao from Pinapaka and B Haripriya Naik from Yellandu, under Mahabubabad LS seat, deciding to join the TRS.
From Maheshwaram segment of Chevella LS seat, the name of former home minister Sabitha Indra Reddy is doing the rounds that she is just a step away from joining TRS. It is also being said that Sangareddy MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy from Medak LS seat may switch over to TRS.