Did the survey indicating resurgence of BJP force the Congress in rushing through a decision on Telangana ?
Many observers here vouch for it saying the Congress was worried not only about its prospects in 2014 elections vis-a- vis BJP but the latter taking full credit for formation of Telangana, if it comes to power, polarising the region on communal lines.
This fear was also expressed by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP, Asaduddin Owaisi. The CNN-IBN and The Hindu election tracker 2013 survey had indicated that the BJP would improve its vote share in several States, including Andhra Pradesh, particularly in the Telangana region.
The survey has suggested that the BJP was on road to recovery in the northern States and that it could decimate Congress besides the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.
This appears to have shaken the Congress, forcing it to think of ways of checkmating its rival.
Without wasting time, a mini core committee meeting was called before the regular one with the big three -- the Chief Minister, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana and the Deputy Chief Minister, C. Damodar Rajanarasimha.
The AICC leaders believed to have briefed them about the party’s proposals that included Rayala-Telangana, in no uncertain terms and asked them to fall in line.
For some, the AICC giving so much of importance to BJP in Telangana was surprising and treat it as a case of overestimating the strength of that party.
The saffron party did not make its presence felt in the region in the first phase of the Panchayat elections.
In a way BJP itself is flabbergasted over the reports of it gaining strength, when it was struggling to get political space in a situation where multi-cornered contest looks imminent.
