STRATEGIC MEETING: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy exchanges greetings with MLAs in Hyderabad on Tuesday before introducing them to Legislative Council candidates. -- Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

HYDERABAD: All the 20 Congress candidates contesting the Council elections from the MLAs quota were introduced to their voters at a dinner hosted by the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and the APCC president K. Keshava Rao here on Tuesday.

However, the voters were not earmarked to the candidates as the party's election managers were still working on the exercise, which is quite complex in view of the system of preferential voting in the Council polls.

The presence of the 32nd candidate in the fray against the 31 seats from the MLAs quota has forced the parties to recast their strategies. The action of nine Telangana Rashtra Samiti rebel MLAs in proposing an independent candidate has only complicated matters further.

As a result, TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao is haunted by the prospect of the possible defeat of one of his two candidates in spite of the BJP's - it has two votes - decision to support them.

The TRS is not sure whether BJP MLA, P. Dorababu, who signed the papers along with the rebel TRS candidates, of the lone independent candidate, K. Gnaneswar, would vote for his official candidates. For Congress, the winning prospects of its 20th candidate hinge on the second preferential votes of its own MLAs and independents.

TD MLAs meet

Meanwhile, Telugu Desam MLAs met under the presidentship of N. Chandrababu Naidu here on Tuesday evening in what was termed as a session for finalising a foolproof strategy for the Legislative Council elections from the Assembly quota on March 22. Party sources said the MLAs, some of them first timers, were familiarised with the complex voting process. Considerable time was spent on evolving ways of ensuring the success of the five party candidates in a contest that is going to be one of the keenest ones.

Apart from Mr. Naidu other senior party leaders were present.

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