Hyderabad: TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will kick off his campaign for the Lok Sabha polls with a public meeting at Karimnagar on Sunday. Karimnagar has been a stronghold of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) since the party's formation in 2001. Rao had represented Karimnagar in the Lok Sabha earlier. Rao, the star campaigner for TRS, will address election rallies at various places in the state beginning from Karimnagar, party sources said. Rao's son and TRS working president K T Rama Rao has already addressed a series of party meetings in preparation for the Lok Sabha polls. Claiming that neither the NDA nor the UPA was in a position to come to power on its own, Rama Rao has sought 16 Lok Sabha seats out of total 17 seats (leaving Hyderabad represented by ally AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi) for the TRS to ensure a better deal for Telangana. Observing that every MP will be crucial in government formation at the Centre, Rama Rao had said 17 MPs for TRS and its ally AIMIM would ensure a heavy flow of funds and development projects for Telangana. Dismissing the TRS stance, opposition Congress and BJP had said the TRS (along with AIMIM) had 15 Lok Sabha MPs on its side during 2014-19, but failed to do anything substantial for the southern state. Telangana goes to polls in a single phase on April 11. The process of filing nominations begins on March 18. TRS sources had earlier said the party candidates for the Lok Sabha elections are expected to be announced as the date for filing nominations draws closer.
