The Congress, on Friday, urged the ruling TRS and opposition parties in Telangana to let a family member of deceased party MLA -- R Venkata Reddy -- be elected unopposed from his Palair Assembly seat in Khammam district.
Venkata Reddy passed away due to lung cancer.
The state Legislative Assembly on Friday passed a motion, moved by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, condoling the senior Congress MLA’s death.
Hailing the services of Venkata Reddy, Rao said he had sanctioned more than Rs 80 lakhs for the former’s medical treatment.
Speaking on the motion, Congress member Puvvada Ajay Kumar appealed to Rao and opposition parties (TDP, BJP, Left and YSR Congress) to let a family member of Venkata Reddy be elected unopposed, according to tradition.
Kumar said strength in the Assembly is not a problem for TRS since 12 members from TDP, who switched loyalties to TRS, have now been recognised as members of the ruling party.
Noting that TRS has been on a winning spree (a series of elections, including by-polls, civic body elections in Hyderabad and elsewhere), the Congress MLA said the ruling party has nothing to prove afresh by letting a family member of Venkat Reddy be elected without contesting.
Speaking on the condolence motion, members of all parties paid rich tributes to the deceased leader.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking on the condolence motion, members of all parties paid rich tributes to the deceased leader.
{{/usCountry}}They hailed him as a leader who championed the cause of agriculture, rural masses and the tribals in his native Khammam district.
Venkata Reddy, a five-time MLA, served as a minister when YS Rajasekhara Reddy, K Rosaiah and N Kiran Kumar Reddy were chief ministers in the earlier undivided Andhra Pradesh.