Hyderabad: TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao turned down a request for an appointment made by UPA’s Presidential election nominee Meira Kumar on Monday.

Ms Kumar, a former Lok Sabha Speaker, who reached here on Monday afternoon, had written to Mr Rao requesting an appointment to seek votes from the TRS. She also made a request with the Chief Minister Office stating she would like to speak with Mr Rao over the phone.

The requests did not materialise before she left the city in the evening. “I want to make an appeal to supporting me in the Presidential election. I have known the people of Telangana state and have visited the region more times than I have my native state Bihar,” she said.

“I have played a key role in the formation of Telangana State and in passing the historical Bill. I request Telangana MLAs and MPs cutting across parties to support me in the election,” Ms Kumar told mediapersons.

TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said it was unfortunate that the Chief Minister had refused to meet a veteran leader like Ms Kumar. It was Mr Rao’s “minimum duty” to reciprocate Ms Kumar’s help in passing the bifurcation Bill which had paved the way for Mr Rao becoming Chief Minister, he said.

When asked about the people not voting for the Congress in 2014 despite statehood, and the TRS which came to power because of the bifurcation not supporting her candidature, Ms Kumar said, “This is all part of politics, what more can I say”

Speaking to Congress MPs and legislators at a function at Exhibition Society buildings here, Ms Kumar said, “Those who are feeling uncomfortable inside for supporting the NDA nominee, those who feel secularism, values and ideologies are highly weighed in this election should support me above party politics.”