With 151 MLAs on hand besides one MLA from the Jana Sena and four dissident MLAs from the TDP, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is a worried man today. He is worried about a defeat in the election of seven MLCs from the Assembly, which is scheduled to be held on March 23.
The opposition TDP fielded its candidate giving sleepless nights to Jagan Mohan Reddy and the YSR Congress leaders. They are already worried about their defeat in the three Graduate MLC seats, elections for which were held last week.
The election to the MLCs from the MLA quota is giving sleepless nights to Jagan Mohan Reddy as each of their seven candidates require 22 MLAs to win the election. With its own MLAs and that of the TDP rebels and Jana Sena rebels, the YSRCP has the strength of 156 MLAs. This would make an easy victory to the YSRCP, while the TDP would get only 19 MLAs for its candidate.
But, there is a threat of at least four to five MLAs from the YSRCP voting against the party. Its MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy had already openly differed with the party and is likely to vote for the TDP taking its strength to 20 MLAs.
Sources say that there are four to five other MLAs from the YSR Congress who are casting invalid votes in the mock polling conducted by the party in the Assembly during the last three days. This would also mean the defeat of the seventh candidate of the YSRCP and victory for the TDP candidate.
Fearing defeat in the Assembly quota MLC elections too, Jagan Mohan Reddy is learned to have assigned the task of checking the MLAs to the ministers. The MLAs were divided into seven groups, each group having 22 MLAs and each attached to one candidate.
The MLAs are likely to be held captive for the day from Wednesday to till the end of the voting in the guise of hosting a dinner. Jagan Mohan Reddy had invited the MLAs for dinner on Wednesday at Tadepalli, where they would be held up, sources say.
TDP gelustundhi.