Eighteen days after Telangana election results, winners yet to take oath; Congress slams TRS for delay

Hyderabad: The Congress on Friday hit out at the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS government in Telangana over “delay” in the process of newly-elected members of the Assembly taking oath as MLAs. “In the history of India, can you find any state where even 18 days after declaration of results, MLAs have not taken oath?,” the Congress in-charge of Telangana affairs, RC Khuntia told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_5139761” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao. PTI[/caption] “It requires the attention of the nation that even 18 days after results have come, MLAs have not taken oath. The ministry has not been formed. How is at that even after 18 days, nobody is taking oath?”, he asked. Elections to the 119-member Assembly were held on 7 December and results declared on 11 December. The TRS returned to power for the second consecutive term, winning 88 seats, pushing the main opposition Congress to a distant second position with 19 seats. Rao was sworn in as chief minister on 13 December. Member of the Legislative Council, Mohammed Mehmood Ali was the only minister to take oath. He was allocated the home portfolio. The Cabinet is yet to be expanded. TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti) sources said the chief minister is expected to undertake the exercise of inducting more ministers in the first week of January. On 14 December, the TRS chief appointed his son KT Rama Rao as the party’s working president. The move came amid firm indications that Chandrasekhar Rao is keen to play a role in national politics. Last Sunday, he embarked on a trip to promote his idea of a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front of regional parties. Rao this week met Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, as part of the exercise. He currently is in Delhi.