The Telugu Desam Party has decided to opt out of the by-election to Palair Assembly constituency of Khammam district.
With the TDP deciding not to field its candidate for the by-poll, the election might become a straight contest between the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the Congress if the CPI(M) also pulls out.
The Congress was said to be in touch with CPI(M) leadership in a bid to restrain the latter from contesting. The YSR Congress has already extended its support to Congress while the BJP had not given thought to contest.
The election had become inevitable in spite of best efforts by the Congress to ensure that it was unanimous. The seat fell vacant following the death of sitting Congress MLA and chairman of the public accounts committee of the legislature R. Venkat Reddy. The ruling TRS fielded Minister T. Nageswara Rao as its nominee ignoring the call of Congress.
Telangana Congress working president M. Bhatti Vikramarka called on the Telangana TDP president L. Ramana and working president A. Revanth Reddy at the TDP Legislature Party office and requested them not to field their nominee and continue the tradition of ensuring unanimous election of kin of MLAs who die in harness.
He said the decision comes after holding parleys with the party president N. Chandrababu Naidu.
