Ranga Reddy/Hyderabad (Telangana), Nov 16 (UNI) Early in August, this year, the state Intelligence unit submitted report to Telangana Chief Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao that his party could win in more than 80 seats if elections were held then, claimed an insider close to the TRS top brass.
On September 6, KCR (as the Chief Minister is popularly known) dissolved the 119 member assembly eight months before the term ended and announced candidates in 105 seats.
Subsequently, the Election Commission declared that the Telangana will go to the polls along with Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram.
“However, the Chief Minister received another survey report, at the end of October, which limited the TRS win to 60 to 65 seats”, the same source said citing the formation of Mahakutami (Grand Alliance), comprising the Congress, Telugu Desham Party (TDP), Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) as the reason.
Even as the state goes to polls on December 7 and last date for filing nomination is November 19, Mahakutami is yet to complete seat-sharing talks as there are several disgruntled ticket aspirants and the TJS has been demanding more seats.
“It is a do or die battle for both TRS and the Congress. Others are small players and will not be a deciding factor. I think KCR realized that there is a strong anti-incumbency in the state. If the Congress had completed ticket distribution and started campaign a bit early, it would have been a different scenario. But we cannot say what people are thinking. I feel KCR has still has the edge”, said G Narayan Reddy, a small-time businessman in the city’s Rajendranagar area.
Several political observers said it would not be cakewalk for TRS this time. The party formed the government in 2014 after the bifurcation, with a narrow margin of 63 seats. However KCR ‘managed’ to get 26 defectors, mainly from the Congress and the TDP, and won two by-elections and his tally went upto 91.
“TRS has an advantage that it started the campaign two months ago and they have declared 117 candidates till now. But see, Congress couldn’t announce their own candidates completely and the alliance parties like TJS is asking more seats. It will create confusion among the voters. Let see how they will campaign as a grand alliance in the next two weeks”, said Alimuddin, a government employee from Old City’s Nambally constituency.
Critics pointed out to the TRS government facing several anti-incumbency factors like rising unemployment, agrarian crisis, nepotism and later the rebellion issues.
Despite launching many welfare schemes for farmers, including the Rythu Bandhu, has been implemented since the state’s formation, figures show as dismal status with more than 3000 farmers suicides reported till 2017.
Similarly, opposition parties are criticising that the TRS government has not fulfilled the promise to create job opportunity for the youth, though the government has denied the allegation.
“It is true that the government could not fulfill all the promises it has given when they came into power. But if you compare with other states, you cannot accuse the Telangana government for its 4.5 years in power. It is a long process to identify the issues, address them and figure out the solutions. I understand the government is functioning is well and the delays will be sorted in its next term in power”, said E Venkat Rao, a local political observer.
As the last date for filing nomination is nearing, rebellion is growing in TRS. Firebrand MLA Bodige Shobha joined the BJP on Thursday after she was denied a ticket.
She accused TRS leadership of being autocratic. The Congress and the recently formed TJS also criticised that apart from KCR, his son KT Rama Rao – a powerful minister in the cabinet, daughter K Kavitha- Lok Sabha MP from Nizamabad and KCR’s nephew Harish Rao - an influential cabinet Minister, are from one family.
Another leader and mother of Telangana martyr Srikantha Chary, Shankaramma has declared that she will contest as a TRS rebel after the party gave ticket to Shanampudi Siadi Reddy in Huzurnagar constituency.
In Warangal East constituency, the opposition within the TRS is growing from different groups as the party has announced Mayor Nannapaneni Narender as candidate.
Party’s trade union leader Gudimalla Ravi Kumar openly criticised the leadership and gave an ultimatum to the TRS leadership to state its position whether the party needed dedicated leaders or not. Mr Kumar, who wanted to contest in Warangal east, was denied the ticket.
However, party workers are confident that things would improve once KCR starts campaign across the state, even dissidents are expected to show support in the coming days, as pointed out by Nizam, an autor driver in the city, that Chief Minister knows the ‘magic’ to attract Telugu sentiments.
The chances of Mahakutami coming to power would depend on Congress performance. Many say that Congress, which bagged 21 seats in the last election, may improve a bit, however it cannot be said at present whether the alliance would form the government.
“See what is happening in Congress. They were almost inactive till last year. They have started the rallies and public programmes a year ago only. People need an alternative is true. Here, they had their chances. But till date, they could not come together as a joint force. Then how will people depend on Kutami?”, ask Mohammed Hyder, a hotel owner in city’s Nambally area pointed out the seats comes under the Hyderabad and nearby areas.
He further said that in Hyderabad city, only Azaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen will get all the seven seats and added that “Congress may come second this time”.
AIMIM, considered to ‘friendly’ towards the TRS, may support the ruling party as indicated by Mr Owaisi in a recent interview that in the seats where his party is not contesting may be a setback for the Congress.
Adding to the Congress woes, in yet another blow, two senior Muslim leaders, on Friday, joined TRS accusing the grand old party of using the minority community only as a vote bank.
Abid Rasool Khan, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee vice president and former state Minority Commission chairman and Mohammed Khaleequr Rahman, national coordinator in the AICC minority department has joined TRS.
According to Mr Khan, Congress had allotted only four out of 75 seats, which it has declared, to the Muslim community that constitutes 30-35 percent of state’s population, despite the assurance from the state leadership that the community will get at least 14 seats.
The Congress is facing serious challenges from its leaders like Rangareddy district president Kyama Mallesh who accused on Thursday that the TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy for not giving seats to Backward Community and ‘selling tickets’ for money.
He even released a recorded audio alleging AICC screening committee chairman Bhakta Charan Das’s son asking three crore bribe from Mr Mallesh’s son for the ticket for the Ibrahimpatnam constituency.
Former Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy’s son P Karthik Reddy’s resignation from the party after he was denied the Rajendranaragar set, which was given to to the TDP as part of the alliance deal, was also a jolt in the Congress.
Many disgruntled leaders were protesting in party’s Hyderabad office and even in Delhi for the ‘injustice’ in the ticket distribution.
“There are at least 4-5 ticket aspirants in every constituency. What will we do? It is sad that we cannot give them the ticket. There are lot of workers who are committed to the party. But we need to keep the coalition dharma as well. We are trying to pacify them. Also we will consider them once we will come to office. After all Congress is like that. Once the election is approaching, our leaders and workers will get into stream”, said a senior party leader, who is part of the screening committee.
The Congress is yet to finalise seat arrangement with the TJS, which has been allotted eight seats, with the Prof Kodandaram-led party announcing it would contest in 12 seats, and whether the Congress would allow the seats demanded by them is also troubling the party.
According to political observers, in southern districts, which is considered a stronghold of the Congress, local leaders and workers are not in a mood to support TDP candidates would also be addressed by the party.
BJP’s, which bagged only five seats in the last election, attempts to gain an upper hand in the urban areas could add to the woes for both the TRS and the Congress.
Both the parties, however claimed that the BJP would not make an impact in Telangana assembly election.
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