With the Congress party boycotting the elections to five MLC seats in Telangana legislative council on Tuesday, decks have been cleared for the election of four TRS candidates and one MIM candidate in the elections.
However, the fifth candidate of the TRS-MIM combine does not have the required number of votes of the MLAs for a straight win.
But since four Congress MLAs – Rega Kantha Rao from Pinapaka, Atram Sakku from Asifabad, Haripriya Naik from Yellandu and Chirumarthi Lingaiah from Nakrekal, besides TDP MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah from Sattupalli, have announced their support to the TRS, the election of the fifth candidate would have been easier.
However, the Telangana Congress cleverly issued a whip to all its MLAs asking them not to take part in voting in the MLC elections.
Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka issued a whip to stay away from voting as the party decided to boycott the MLA quota MLC election.
Similarly, Telangana TDP president L Ramana also issued a whip to its two MLAs – Veeraiah and Mecha Nageshwar Rao – to stay away from polling.
If the defecting MLAs take part in polling in violation of the party whip, they would automatically get disqualified from their assembly membership.
So, TRS president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao asked them not to take part in the voting, while ensuring that all the five candidates get elected by adopting the second-preference voting method.
It would mean, no MLC candidate would get required 21 votes for the straight win, but would have to depend on the second preference votes.
The voting MLAs have to indicate their second preference, along with the first preference. While each MLC candidate have been allotted 20 votes, the fifth candidate was allotted 18.
So, instead of being declared in the first round itself, they would have to get elected in the second round of counting of second preference votes.
Thus, the TRS can ensure the victory of five candidates and also see that the defecting MLAs do not get disqualified!
