It was K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s magic that acted as a catalyst for the Telangana Rashtra Samiti to sweep the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Telangana, while N. Chandrababu Naidu’s vision and cutting-edge strategy paved the way for the TDP to come up trumps in the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh.
The victory could not have come at a more appropriate time for Mr. Rao as the new Telangana State will commence its journey from the appointed day, June 2. Reflecting the euphoria, a sea of supporters gathered at the TRS Bhavan — the scene appeared like a fair with party workers dancing in gay abandon — to celebrate the victory. Close by, hundreds of TDP workers gathered at Mr. Naidu’s residence to savour the win chanting slogans and distributing sweets.
The Congress, which was hoping to take credit for creation of the 29th State in Indian Union, fared badly. In the 119-member Telangana Assembly, TRS won 63 seats followed by Congress with 21 and TDP-BJP (20). The Congress party’s humiliation was complete as its top leaders falling by the way side under the crushing speed of the TRS juggernaut across the Telangana region. The Congress failed to open its account in Seemandhra region, probably for the first time in the history of AP since inception in 1956. The TRS dominated the show in the Lok Sabha elections also by bagging 11 of the 17 seats leaving the Congress with two, TDP-BJP, MIM and YSR Congress to share the remaining seats.
The YSR Congress of Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, which was touted to walk away with a victory in Seemandhra, had to settle for the second place with 67 seats behind the TDP’s 106. Two independents also won in Seemandhra.
The TRS dominated the show in the Lok Sabha elections also by bagging 11 of the 17 seats leaving the Congress with two, TDP-BJP, MIM and YSR Congress to share the remaining seats. The TDP and the YSRC slugged it out in Seemandhra in parliamentary seats but TDP-BJP stole the march by winning 17 seats, leaving the rest to YSRC. The Congress drew a blank here too.
The TRS victory march began with Mr. Rao romping home in Medak Lok Sabha with over 3.5 lakh majority and wresting the Gajwel Assembly seat with a comfortable margin. The TRS president’s whirlwind tour of Telangana districts and passionate speeches turned the tide in TRS’s favour. The Congress in Telangana faced the ignominy of all its former Ministers numbering over a dozen losing badly at the hustings.
On the other hand, fresh from victory in the local body elections, the TDP continued its victory march in Seemandhra by emerging as the single largest party bagging over 106 out of the 175 Assembly constituencies. Mr. Naidu effectively took the party’s development plank to the electorate announcing a clear roadmap and outlined his priorities for accelerated development in the residuary State. Also, Mr. Naidu and his TDP were successful in attaching the “corruption” tag to Mr. Jagan Reddy. And the “proven track record” of his erstwhile government in putting the State on the international map was evident from the comfortable victory the TDP candidates secured.
An important aspect of the TDP’s victory was the alliance it entered with the BJP, which Mr. Naidu has claimed a win-win for both the parties that had development as their common agenda. The Modi wave coupled with the effective transfer of votes between the two parties helped the alliance in securing impressive gains in the coastal belt. The BJP factor and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan’s campaign boosted the chances of the two parties as reflected in the clear verdict in the twin cities. MIM’s tally remained at seven, with YSR Congress making its debut in Telangana with three seats and CPI and CPI (M) winning one seat each.
“The people trusted our commitment and voted overwhelmingly in favour of TDP which alone can ensure all-round development of the new State,” Mr. Naidu said. The vote for the TDP, he said, was a historic necessity. On his part, the TRS chief said: “We bow with all our humility.”
Telangana Congress president Ponnala Lakshmaiah attributed the party rout to the Modi wave, while his Seemandhra counterpart N. Raghuveera Reddy, who like Mr. Lakshmaiah also lost the polls, said division of the State had dealt a body blow to the Congress.
The BJP factor and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan’s campaign boosted the chances of the two parties as reflected in the clear verdict in the twin cities. MIM’s tally remained at seven, with YSR Congress making its debut in Telangana with three seats and CPI and CPI (M) winning one seat each.
