TRS chief quits after party debacle in bypolls

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao resigns from the party post owning moral responsibility.

Stung by the party's drubbing in last week's byelections to Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday resigned from the party post owning moral responsibility.

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Rao (54), sent his resignation letter to the party General Secretary T Madhusudanachary, but senior TRS leaders said that it will not be accepted and that Rao will be asked to continue to lead the party.

The TRS' gamble to capitalise on Telangana sentiment after forcing the byelections went horribly wrong as the party was defeated in constituencies which were considered its traditional strongholds.

The party, which has been spearheading the Telangana statehood movement since its inception in 2001, lost 11 assembly and two Lok Sabha seats it held to ruling Congress and main opposition TDP.

The Telangana party retained only seven out of the sixteen assembly and two out of four Lok Sabha seats it had vacated accusing the UPA government of reneging on its promise to carve out separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh.

"There is no question of accepting his resignation. We are receiving innumerable messages from well-wishers of the party requesting our leader to withdraw his resignation," Madhusudhanachary said.

"We will request KCR to preside over tomorrow's meeting. He is our supreme leader," he said.