HYDERABAD: Ending speculations on whether or not Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will partake in the swearing-in of JD(S) president HD Kumaraswamy as Karnataka chief minister, Rao has chosen to visit Bengaluru today evening itself to congratulate Kumaraswamy instead of tomorrow, when he will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
Rao, will fly down to Bengaluru this evening and return tonight after congratulating the new Chief Minister.
With this, Chandrasekhar Rao will be strengthening his bond with the JD (S) and simultaneously avoid sharing dais with Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is among the host of dignitaries who would be present at the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow.
A section of TRS leaders believe that as Kumaraswamy is forming the government with the support of Congress, KCR's presence at the swearing-in might give wrong signals that the pink party is leaning towards Congress. Further, since the aim of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is looking at forming a non-Congress and non-BJP front at the national level, his presence at the swearing in tomorrow will go against his very idea of maintaining equi-distance from both national parties -- the Congress and the BJP.
Beides Rahul Gandhi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and other dignitaries will be present for the swearing-in tomorrow.
Ahead of KCR's decision on whether or not to be present at Kumaraswamy's swearing-in, a debate was going on among the pink party leaders on whether their boss will turn up at Kumaraswamy's function.
Since Congress is seen as the main rival for TRS in Telangana, many TRS leaders were of the view that KCR might skip Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony. Where as, another section believed that as KCR gave a call to Telugus in Karnataka to vote for JD(S) in the recently-held Assembly polls, it would be apt for him to make his presence at the function.
Official sources however said that in view of important engagements on Wednesday, the Telangana Chief Minister will return to Hyderabad on Tuesday night itself.
In fact, KCR had predicted that Karnataka-like fractured verdict would be witnessed in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He further felt that during such a situation, his proposed Federal Front would play a key role at the national level.