HYDERABAD: As many as 16 Congress MLAs and one PRP MLA, who have been served notices by Assembly speaker N Manohar, will meet here on December 22 to discuss the explanations to be given to the notices served by the speaker on the disqualification petitions filed by their respective parties.The meeting is likely to be held under the chairmanship of YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. As of now, 16 MLAs have not received the notices which are likely to reach them on Wednesday.The MLAs do not have a unanimous opinion on how to react to the notices. While one section thinks it will be better for them to approach the speaker individually, another favours all of them meeting the speaker in one delegation to make political circles and people understand their commitment. Another reason being advanced by this section is that if they meet the speaker as one group, the speaker will disqualify them on the spot and at one go. Such a development will lead to byelections for all the seats at the same time. The YSR Congress will gain from a singlephase polling for the 17 seats, these MLAs say. Jagan too has recently demanded disqualification at one go and simultaneous polls."If our case is delayed in the speaker's court, it will mar YSRC's electoral prospects and damage their credibility. Keeping in mind all these issues, we will take a decision at the meeting," two MLAs told Express. Any delay would help the ruling party damage the reputation of Jagan, they apprehended. The meeting will also prepare an action plan for preparatory work for elections and prepare a final blue print for facing the Congress and the TDP at the gross root level in all the Assembly constituencies.
