Congress party has submitted a petition to the Telangana Legislative Council chairman K. Swamy Goud seeking disqualification of eight party MLCs for defying the whip during the election of Council chief last month.
Leader of Opposition in the Council D. Srinivas and deputy leader Md. Ali Shabbir met Mr. Goud and handed over separate petitions against the eight MLCs.
They reasoned that the party had issued a whip to the party legislators to vote for the official candidate Farookh Hussain. Instead, they all voted for the TRS nominee for the post of Council Chairman. The Congress leaders sought their disqualification under the Anti Defection Act.
The MLCs, against whom the petition was filed include: Council vice-chairman Nethi Vidyasagar, K. R. Amos, Jagadishwar Reddy, V. Bhupal Reddy, Bhanuprasad, D. Rajeswar, N. Rajalingam and K. Yadava Reddy. All of them joined the TRS ahead of the Council chairman’s election.
Mr. Srinivas told reporters that the election of Council Chairman was conducted in undemocratic manner. “When the Congress members were speaking on the election, the Deputy Chairman cut the mike of the Leader of the Opposition and announced commencement of election,” he said. The former PCC chief said the Congress then decided to boycott polls and withdrew its candidate.
Mr. Swamy Goud said the proceedings would take place as per the norms.
Yadava Reddy expelledIn a related development, disciplinary action committee of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee expelled Mr. Yadava Reddy, who was elected as ZPTC member for a period of six years for violating party whip and voting in favour of TRS candidate in Ranga Reddy ZP elections.
