KCR to declare candidates for Assembly polls soon

Telangana CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday sounded the “early poll” bugle by announcing that the TRS would declare its candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections next month  (September), while the original schedule of elections is April/May 2019. He categorically stated that the TRS would contest all the seats on its own and there was no question of entering into an alliance with any party. He said the surveys done revealed that the TRS would win 100-plus seats.

Mr. Rao said the seven surveys done by independent agencies revealed that the TRS would comfortably win 100 plus seats out of 119 and retain power in Telangana. With his remarks, Mr. Rao gave enough indications that he wanted to dissolve the assembly in September and go for early polls along with Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly elections scheduled to be held in November.

Addressing a press conference in Telangana Bhavan after presiding over the party's State Committee meeting for over five hours, Mr. Rao said “We are ready for any eventuality. Anything may happen in the last six months. For this, we have decided to declare our candidates in September itself and go to the people seeking votes.”

However, Mr  Rao avoided a direct reply when asked if he wanted to advance elections. He said “I am not an astrologer to predict this. I can only say that the Election Commission has the power to conduct elections in advance. They cannot extend the term of the Legislative Assembly but they can advance the election.”

To repeated queries on advancement of polls, Mr Rao said, “Elections held in the last six months of the stipulated tenure will not be termed as advanced elections. The Election Commission has the power to do this. We want to be ready for this or any kind of eventuality.” KCR said that TRS supported JDU candidate in recent Rajya Sabha deputy chairman election because JDU chief Nitish Kumar personally callled him and sought TRS support and no one from Congress called him for support.