The Hindu : Front Page : TRS suffers shock defeat in Council polls

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Friday, Mar 23, 2007
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TRS suffers shock defeat in Council polls

Special Correspondent

One of party's two candidates eliminated from contest

LONE LOSER: Telangana Rashtra Samiti candidate M.Sudarshan Rao (left), who lost the Legislative Council election. — Photo: Satish H.

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) suffered a shock defeat in the Legislative Council elections from the MLAs quota on Thursday as one of its two candidates, M. Sudarshan Rao, was eliminated from the contest.

Its much-hyped alliance with the BJP could not help the TRS nominee to sail through due to cross-voting by two MLAs. All the 31 other candidates, including 20 of the Congress, five of the Telugu Desam, two of the CPI, one each of the CPI (M), MIM and TRS besides Kasani Gyaneshwar, an independent supported by TRS rebels, were declared elected at the end of the counting which continued well past midnight.

Failure of strategy

An analysis of the results showed that the TRS' strategy had failed miserably. The party leadership concentrated on defeating the game plan of the dissidents without guarding its own flanks. Of the 19 votes it had banked upon, including two of the BJP, Mr. Sudarshan Rao could secure only three first preferential votes while its winning candidate, H. A. Rahman polled 14. Evidently, two of its loyal MLAs had cross-voted, most likely in favour of Mr. Gyaneshwar who polled 12 votes against the ten he banked upon.

In contrast, the Telugu Desam Party's gamble in fielding five candidates against its perceived strength (53 MLAs including CPI -M) of getting through only four after extending support to its Marxist ally, paid off handsomely. All of them won, though Masala Padmaja with some difficulty.

Though it was expected that the TDP would face problems in getting its fifth candidate elected, the party's line that possible errors by rivals during voting would help it, came true.

Congress managers happy

Mock voting and counselling for the Congress MLAs helped the party as the votes were cast according to plan. But for a couple of slips, the voting pattern of Congress MLAs was to the satisfaction of its poll managers. Six of its candidates polled 10 votes each, 15 others nine votes and remaining two polled eight votes each.

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