From the prospects of merging itself with the Congress till the passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill in Parliament in February last year on formation of Telangana State, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has come a long away in catapulting itself to power on the wave of the statehood sentiment.
Yet, the organisational weaknesses in the ruling party have come out in the open time and again, including in the recent biennial election to the two Graduates’ Constituencies of the Legislative Council, where it suffered a defeat in one of the seats. Opposition parties attribute the delay in holding GHMC elections also to the ruling party’s lack of confidence to face them.
Crucial moment
The party’s sixth plenary scheduled on April 24, the first one after it took over the reigns of power, comes around at a time when it is poised to face elections to the GHMC sooner than later. The TRS did not have representation in the urban body all along its 14-year journey that continued with the sole objective of achieving statehood.
“We want to make the party a formidable political force in Telangana, from a mere movement party by exhibiting our strength with the help of the plenary and the public meeting slated on April 27. It’s important that people know and recognise our progress as a political entity and the present occasion is an opportunity for that,” a party leader engaged in the arrangements said.
It was with the resolve of expanding its mass base that the party took up its membership drive in February and enrolled over 50 lakh members, including about 11 lakh in the GHMC area.
‘Support increasing’
“We know that people are rallying behind TRS increasingly, be it because of the welfare schemes initiated by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao or otherwise. A large number of people settled here from Seemandhra in L.B. Nagar, Malkajgiri, Kukatpally and other constituencies taking TRS membership is an indication of that,” claimed senior leader Nayani Narasimha Reddy.
