Politics News : TRS to take grand decision soon

Blaming the Telugu Desam Party for the drubbing the TRS had received in the recent election, chief of the separatist party K Chandrasekhara Rao has said that a decision whether to continue in the Grand Alliance or not would be taken at the party’s general body meeting to be convened shortly. Speaking to reporters after attending the TRS Legislature Party meeting today, where Eetala Rajender was elected its leader, Rao said if the performance of the TRS was poor it was because vote transfer from the TDP to the TRS did not take place. In some places, it was a clear case of sabotage by the TDP. He said if one looked at the results of the elections it would become clear that the Grand Alliance had polled more votes than the Congress in the 119 Assembly seats in the Telangana region. The alliance had secured 38 per cent while the Congress had garnered only 33 per cent vote. In the Lok Saba seats which the TRS had contested, it got 31 per cent votes while the MLAs secured 27 per cent vote share in each of the seven Assembly segments of the Lok Sabha constituency. In the nine Lok Sabha seats the party had contested, of the total 83.31 lakh votes polled, the TRS candidates secured 26.01 lakh votes. In the Assembly seats where the TRS had contested, of the 60 lakh votes polled, the party secured 16 lakh accounting for 27 per cent share. If the TRS did not do well in the election, it was because of the split of the anti-Congress vote since the PRP and Lok Satta candidates too were in the fray. “We had clear chances of winning at least two more Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats but for the division of anti-Congerss vote and the TDP’s lack of cooperation,” he said. He dismissed the criticism that the TRS’s foundations had shaken after the elections. “Our vote bank is in tact. No damage has been done,” he said and added that the TRS would continue to be active in pursuing the cause of Telangana statehood. “There is no question of any slowing down of the movement. We will keep fighting battles and we will not rest,” he said.To a question on how long it would take to secure separate State, Chandrasekhara Rao said as he had said that they would continue fighting for the cause, the question was irrelevant. Rajendar elected TRSLP leader, Harish deputy HYDERABAD: E Rajendar was unanimouslly elected TRS Legislative Party leader here today.Party MPs and MLAs met under the chairmanship of party president K Chandrasekhara Rao at Telangana Bhavan, the party’s headquarters. Party secretary-general Vijayasanti, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Medak, also attended the meeting. T Harish Rao was elected deputy leader and K Eshwar the party whip. E Ravinder Reddy was elected secretary. Rajendar told reporters that his party would continue the Telangana movement and fight for the cause inside and outside the Assembly.