Hyderabad, May 15 (Inditop) A day before the counting of votes, all the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) candidates reached the party headquarters here Friday as party leaders took steps to prevent other parties from poaching on its would be MPs and legislators.
All nine Lok Sabha and 45 assembly candidates of the party reached Telangana Bhavan, the party headquarters, where all arrangements have been made for their stay over the next two to three days.
With the predictions of a hung Lok Sabha and hung assembly, all eyes will be on TRS, which is hoping to play kingmaker in the state and a key role in New Delhi.
Fearing poaching by the ruling Congress, TRS leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao directed all candidates to gather at the party office and stay on till the party takes a decision on post-poll alliances.
Though KCR, as Rao is known, has announced that the party would back the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the centre, sources said a final decision would be taken after the results are known.
TRS has taken a stand that it would back any coalition, which is ready to accept the demand for separate statehood to the Telangana region.
TRS, which fought the assembly elections in alliance with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the two Left parties, may also play a crucial role in government formation in the state.
However, the party is not likely to support the Congress in view of its ‘bitter’ experience after the 2004 elections.
TRS, which had fought 2004 elections in alliance with the Congress, joined the first-ever coalition in the state but pulled out a year later to protest agaisnt what it said was the indifferent attitude of the Congress towards the demand for a separate Telangana.
TRS is taking precautionary measures this time as 10 out of its 26 state legislators revolted against KCR’s leadership after the 2004 elections and later joined the Congress.