Telangana battle now a 2-cornered contest
With a fortnight to go for elections, the battle lines are clearly drawn in Telangana. Fringe parties, except the BSP, have either withdrawn from the fray or joined the camps of major parties. And the BJP has yet to match its words with deeds, which leaves the field open for a titanic battle between the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Congress. Irrespective of the claims of either side, there are two interesting aspects in this campaign. Unlike in 2014 and 2018, development has taken centre-stage this time. The Telangana sentiment, in spite of feeble attempts to revive it, is not yet playing out; it appears unlikely to either.
This augurs well for the state as it is almost a decade since its formation. The state needs to debate and vote on the plank of development. BRS leaders are leaving no stone unturned to remind people of the Chandrashekhar Rao government’s achievements in its last two terms, prominent being roundthe- clock power supply to farmers, irrigation, schemes such as Rythu Bandhu for farmers, Dalit Bandhu and of course, the development of Hyderabad.
The Congress, notwithstanding in-house squabbles, is going for the BRS jugular, piling up corruption charges in innovative ways, tapping into voter fatigue with the ruling party and offering six guarantees—catering to all sections from monthly doles to women and higher investment input for farmers to fi nancial assistance for students. The Congress has shown that it is very much in the fi ght. Its guarantees may work but showcasing the Karnataka model may not. BRS leaders, quick to exploit any chinks in the Congress armour, are drawing comparisons between Telangana, where power supply is more than adequate, to the troubles in Karnataka. ‘It is a risk’, they say in their appeals seeking to ignite the natural aversion to change, as opposed to the Congress slogan of ‘It’s time for change’.
Another significant dimension is the way parties are reacting to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest in Andhra. If Naidu was projected as the Andhra bogeyman in 2018, now all, including BRS, are expressing sympathy for the fear of losing votes of the Seemandhra people. It is an irony that Naidu, though he has effectively shut shop in Telangana, may actually gain if Congress comes to power, given that state Congress chief Revanth Reddy is his protégé. In that sense, the Telangana outcome may impact Andhra elections next year.