KCR still testing waters, not keen on Lok Sabha plunge

HYDERABAD: There may be clamours for him becoming the Prime Minister, but indications are that Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will not contest the Lok Sabha polls this time around. In the backdrop of a cut-out near Paradise that spelt ‘K Chandrasekhar Rao will be our Prime Minister and K T Rama Rao will be our chief minister,’ the TRS held its Secunderabad parliamentary party meeting here on Wednesday which was chaired by TRS working president KT Rama Rao.


The words in the cut-out may be wishful thinking on the part of some TRS leaders, as party sources indicated to TOI that the mission given to party leaders is to win 16 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats and play a crucial role at the centre. “However, KCR himself will not take the plunge to the Lok Sabha this time around and will continue to remain chief minister for some more time. If need be, we will take a call on the matter once the Lok Sabha results are out and it becomes clear whether some party will form the government or whether there will be a hung verdict,” the party sources said.

After KTR was appointed working president of the TRS a day after it secured a resounding victory in the assembly elections, there was speculation that KCR will leave the state to his son and move over to national politics, in which case a Lok Sabha nomination would have made sense. That being the situation, KCR could have contested from either Medak or Nalgonda constituencies. But now, even though his role in national politics is not being ruled out, indications are that he will not become a Lok Sabha member this time around.

Sources said KCR has conveyed his decision not to contest the Lok Sabha elections to party senior leaders in a couple of recent meetings. Further, he is planning to field Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, sitting MP, from Medak and a realtor Vemireddy Narsimha Reddy from Nalgonda from where he wanted to contest. In the 2014 election, KCR contested from both Lok Sabha (Medak) and Assembly (Gajwel). After becoming CM he resigned from the LS membership and Kotha Prabhakar Reddy was given the ticket. KCR also represented Karimnagar and Mahbubnagar LS constituencies in 2004 and 2009 LS elections respectively.

Party sources said his entry into national politics depends on the LS results. “If NDA gets less seats than the magic figure to form government on its own, his entry will be early and it will be delayed if the NDA forms the government comfortably,” a senior TRS leader analysed.