TDP looking for escape route from Banswada

HYDERABAD: The Telugu Desam, which had tasted humiliating defeat in all the 12 Assembly constituencies in Telangana where by-elections were held last year, is finding excuses to stay off the Banswada by-election on October 13. This was evident from the appeal made by the Telangana Telugu Desam Forum to Telangana Rashtra Samithi on Thursday.“We will not contest.You too keep away from it.Let us all boycott elections till Telangana state is formed.The TRS should take the initiative on this and should not field Pocharam Srnivasa Reddy in the ensuing by-election,” TDPF convener E Dayakar Rao said. “If political parties boycott elections, the central government will come down and carve out Telangana state immediately.No one should file nominations in the by-election for the Banswada Assembly seat,’’ Rao suggested to TRS and other parties.The appeal is seen as TTDF’s inability to face the by-election in the wake of the thick T-surge.Only last year had the TDP contested 12 seats vacated by the TRS and the BJP, and it lost its deposits in all the 12 constituencies.It fears a repeat performance in the Banswada by-election which was caused by the resignation of Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy who resigned from the Assembly and the Telugu Desam to join the TRS.The TRS is likely to field Reddy and the winning chances of a TDP candidate are remote there.