This Article is From May 16, 2012

After BJP, TRS announces its own candidate for Parkal by-poll

Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has announced M Bhikshapati as its candidate for the June 12 by-poll for the Parkal Assembly constituency in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh.

Bhikshapati, who unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly election in 2009, is the unanimous choice of the party, TRS Election Committee Chairman Naini Narsimha Reddy told reporters.

Among the 18 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh where by-polls will be held on June 12, Parkal is the only Assembly constituency in Telangana, while all others are in non-Telangana regions.

By-poll in Parkal is necessitated as sitting Congress MLA Konda Surekha switched loyalty to Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and voted against the Congress government in the state during a floor test in December last year.

TRS fielding its candidate in Parkal despite some Telangana supporters suggesting that either TRS or BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party) should contest the election to avoid a division of votes among pro-Telangana parties.

However, both TRS and BJP announced their decision to contest the by-poll.

TRS and BJP have been the members of the Telangana political Joint Action Committee (JAC) but the ties between the two parties soured after the TRS lost to the saffron party in the by-election to Mahbubnagar in March. The decision of TRS and BJP to contest the Parkal election has put the JAC in a fix as it cannot take sides.
.