Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K. Chandrasekhar Rao did a solo in electioneering by his party, addressing public meetings in 107 Assembly constituencies since April 13 when he set off hiring a helicopter.
As the TRS did not have alliance partners, Mr. Rao was the face of the party as he took on his shoulders the entire responsibility of campaign. He travelled far and wide into interior villages, addressing up to 10 meetings a day.
The TRS had also deployed 3 D holographic technology of reaching out to masses with his pre-recorded speeches but the mode was abandoned after a few shows due to technical problems. He appeared in ‘flesh and blood’ before the audience wherever the shows were arranged in villages.
KCR devoted much of his campaign to targeting Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Laxmaiah whom he called names. Mr. Laxmaiah repulsed the attack but not in the same tone and tenor.
He launched the campaign from Karimnagar painting a picture that a third alternative comprising a confederation of regional parties, including TRS, will assume power at the Centre. His focus was on attracting votes of minorities but Congress president Sonia Gandhi warned public that he had a hidden agenda to join hands with communal forces.
Mr. Rao later trained his guns on BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for announcing plans to make Hyderabad the second capital of the country. This was nothing but an attempt to make Hyderabad a Union Territory, he said.
He also took on film actor Pawan Kalyan who entered the scene warning of skinning the TRS chief. This invited a serious reaction not only from KCR but the entire rank and file of TRS. The cultural troupes of TRS began singing satirical songs against the star.
Apart from firing political solvos against Modi, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, Mr. Laxmaih and Pawan Kalyan, the campaign by KCR was focussed on reassuring voters about promises made in the manifesto.
The MP and MLA candidates of the Telangana Rashtra Samimithi were solely dependent on KCR's charisma to see them through.
They took up door-to-door campaign on days other than meetings addressed by the TRS chief.
