In a setback to the TDP, the CPI on Wednesday decided to support the TRS in five of the seven Assembly constituencies, where bypolls will be held on March 18. Of the seven assembly seats, six are in Telangana while the other (Kovur) is in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
CPI State Secretary K Narayana said his party would support the sitting TDP MLA Nagam Janardhan Reddy who quit in support of separate Telangana and is seeking re-election from Nagarkurnool.
He said the party decided to support the TRS candidates and Reddy in the seats in Telangana region as they quit their posts in support of separate statehood demand.
In Kovur, the CPI would support the CPI(M) candidate in the interest of the Left unity.
TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao thanked the CPI for supporting his party’s nominees. TRS as well as TDP have sought the cooperation of CPI in the bypolls.
The TRS president went to the CPI office here yesterday and met the party’s leaders like State Secretary K Narayana. Rao said he proposed to work together with CPI.
Meanwhile, senior TDP leader T Devender Goud and others also met the CPI leaders and sought their cooperation in the bypolls. TDP and CPI have been allies for long.
CPI, which supports separate Telangana demand, has considerable presence in the state. But the Left party is not inclined to contest the bypolls and its support may help the contesting parties.
Bypolls have been necessitated in Adilabad, Kollapur, Nagarkurnool, Station Ghanpur and Kamareddy due to the resignation of sitting members in support of Telangana statehood demand. The sitting MLA died in Mahabubnagar. [PTI]