He has restricted himself to his farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad and engaged his son in quelling dissidence that has erupted after declaration of the first candidates’ list for the polls.
Telangana caretaker Chief Minister and TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, better known as KCR, has almost handed over the party as well as government affairs to his son and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao, also known as KTR, at a time when the state is going to the polls in the middle of December. All the ministers and senior officials too were told to be in touch with KTR to deal with governmental matters.
This way, KTR, 42, has become the No.2 in the party and the government though there are two Deputy Chief Ministers and a few other senior ministers in the Cabinet and around a dozen seniors in the party.
KTR has set up a “command control unit” at his “camp office” situated close to that of the CM in Begumpet and coordinating election arrangements.
KCR has been staying in his Errabelli farmhouse, 72 km from here in his Gajwel Assembly constituency, since September 2 when he addressed a massive public meeting at Kongara Kalan on the outskirts of Hyderabad city. He came to the city only twice – first to preside over a Cabinet meeting on September 6 which decided to dissolve the Assembly and inform the same to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan.
Next time, the CM came to Hyderabad was on September 10, a day before the team of Election Commission of India (ECI) visited the city to review the situation and decide the poll-preparedness in the state.
KCR called on the Governor to seek early elections to Telangana, even before those of four states, if possible. As the EC hasn’t announced a decision on conducting the elections in Telangana, mainly due to a plethora of complaints it has received on deletion of 20 lakh names from the 2014 voters’ list, it appears that the state might go to polls along with the other states, most likely in December. This seems to be the reason for KCR taking a long break at his farmhouse.
Sources close to the CM told The Sunday Guardian that KCR would resume tours of the districts from the week beginning September 24. This absence of his father has helped KTR take over the reins of the party and official matters. As KCR is not meeting anyone without appointment at his farmhouse, KTR has become the only source to all to communicate with the CM. KTR’s role has become crucial as he is flooded with hundreds of party MLAs, ticket aspirants and their supporters. The situation is volatile now as KCR has announced MLA candidates to 105 out of the total 119 seats. While four sitting MLAs have been denied tickets, the fate of 14 other seats has been kept pending. The announcement of candidates has sparked off dissidence in almost 30 seats and the followers of the aspirants and the sitting MLAs have been protesting against the CM’s decision. In Chennur (SC) seat, sitting MLA Nallala Odelu has been replaced with Peddapalli (SC) MP Balka Suman, a student leader from Osmania University.
Odelu, a senior party leader, protested the decision and his followers attacked Suman when he went to Chennur to meet party workers last week.
One of the followers, Gattaiah, even doused himself with kerosene and set himself ablaze to protest the allotment of ticket to Suman. After four days, Gattaiah succumbed to burn injuries at a hospital. KTR has been able to convince Odelu to abide by the CM’s decision to allot the ticket to Suman, but the death of Gattaiah has turned the situation in the constituency tense.
KCR has entrusted his son to deal with the dissidence there and ensure that the family of Gattaiah is adequately compensated. KTR has pacified the followers of Odelu and his followers with specific assurances.
The situation is same in other seats where the warring groups within the party are not happy with the allotment of tickets. The dissidence is unmanageable in 20 seats as the MLAs who defected from Congress, TDP and YSR Congress have been allotted TRS tickets here, thus shocking the party seniors who aspired to become MLAs.
The aspirants and their followers have been holding demonstrations and burning the effigies of the ticket allottees in their respective constituencies and, in some places, calling for bandhs too. Police intelligence reports have warned the ruling party of huge losses unless the dissidence is quelled at the earliest. KCR has entrusted KTR with the responsibility of sorting out the dissidence and negotiating with the warring groups to see that the official candidates got their support. KTR is now busy talking to the dissidents and monitoring the situation in their constituencies. “He (KTR) is now coordinating and monitoring the pre-poll situation,” said TRS MLC Palla Rajeswara Reddy while talking to The Sunday Guardian.
It is not that KTR has no opponents within the party. Former minister and Warangal (East) MLA Konda Surekha, who was denied ticket along with the 105 in the first list, has openly attacked KTR saying that he runs a coterie within the TRS. “KTR is systematically eliminating all seniors and strong leaders like me to become the CM after elections,” Surekha told this newspaper. Surekha and her husband Konda Murali, a TRS MLC, wield substantial support base in Warangal district and are planning to join Congress soon. Now, KTR has taken up the task of finding an alternative candidate for Warangal (East) and make up for the loss of possible exist of Konda couple. KTR is also now calling up ministers to know the progress of their campaigning.
Even in governmental matters, KTR is dealing with senior officials and issuing instructions to them, in turn taking same from his father. For instance, KTR went to Governor Narasimhan this week to invite him for inaugurating second phase of Metro Rail from Ameerpet to LB Nagar, a distance of 29 km, on September 24. This usually is supposed to be done by the CM.
A senior official in Secretariat told this correspondent that they had no problems in taking orders from KTR, also a minister, as long as there are no conflicting orders from the CM. “He listens to us and notes down the issues and communicates the CM’s views to us, so there is no issue at all,” said a secretary, requesting anonymity.
Even senior ministers are now-a-days waiting for their turn to meet KTR to discuss a matter or brief him on poll-related issues.