Barely hours before the much-awaited counting of votes for the Telangana Assembly election is to be taken up, People’s Front leaders, led by TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, met Governor E.S.L. Narsimhan and sought the first chance in the event of the results throwing up hung Assembly.
The significant development came even as the MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi had wide-ranging consultations with the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragati Bhavan triggering speculation that the former will extend support to the TRS, if there is fractured mandate. A day earlier, the BJP has said it would consider supporting TRS in the government formation, in the event of a hung Assembly. The pre-condition it had put was that TRS should distance itself from the Majlis-Ittehadul-Muslimeen.
In this backdrop, there was hectic parleys among the People’s Front leaders and the TRS-MIM chiefs on Monday.
Contrary to the exit poll prediction that TRS would win the elections, the flurry of activity in the political parties ahead of the counting of votes raised curiosity.
Accompanied by TTDP president L. Ramana, TJS founder Prof. Kodandaram, MRPS founder president Manda Krishna Madiga and others, Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy impressed upon the Governor that the alliance was formed before the polls itself. “In tune with the Supreme Court ruling that in the event of close results, the pre-poll alliance partners should be given the first chance and treated as a single entity. Hence, the People’s Front should be called first,” the leaders urged the Governor.
Mr. Reddy told the waiting media outside the Raj Bhavan that they had submitted copies of the Common Minimum Programme. “We explained to the Governor the sanctity of the pre-poll alliance and sought adequate security for the Congress leaders,” he said.
Show of strength: People’s Front leaders after meeting Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan in Hyderabad.
Prof Kodandaram reminded that as per the Sarkaria Commission recommendation the alliance should be given the first opportunity. TTDP chief Ramana said it was ridiculous on the part of the BJP to say it would support BJP the TRS and said that the TRS, MIM and BJP were all one.
Asad meets KCR
In a related development, Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi drove to Pragati Bhavan on a bike and was closeted with Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao for over two hours. The meeting assumed significance even as Mr. Rao had claimed that the TRS would easily win the elections on its own.
During the three-hour-long meeting, the two leaders, it is understood, discussed the pros and cons of results and what should be done if fractured mandate is delivered.
Speaking to media, Mr. Owaisi exuded confidence that the TRS would form the next government in Telangana on its own strength. “We will stand by the TRS and Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao,” he said.
“On behalf of my party I met Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. I am pretty sure and confident and KCR saab is also confident that people of Telangana will once again bless KCR to the Chief Minister’s post and he will form a new government based on his own strength,” he said.
