Congress, BJP eye CM hat, K Chandrashekar Rao aims for hat-trick

HYDERABAD: The stage is set for a no-holds-barred fight ahead of the Telangana assembly elections, to be held on November 30. The battle promises to be a triangular contest between a well-entrenched Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), a resurgent Congress, and a determined BJP.
The stakes are high for all three parties, with chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao eyeing a historic hat-trick of wins.While BRS is banking on its welfare schemes and KCR's charisma, BJP has leveraged the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress, meanwhile, is seeking to capitalise on the anti-incumbency sentiment in certain sections of the voters and a potential shift of minority votes from BRS to itself.

Political analyst professor K Nageshwar predicts an intense political battle marked by allegations and counter-allegations. "Given the high stakes, the state will likely be flooded with money and liquor for the next 50 days," he said. "The possibility of defections and sabotage is also high, especially among candidates who failed to secure tickets." Election Commission officials have said they will keep a hawk's eye on parties' attempts to lure voters.
While BRS is first off the blocks by announcing candidates for 115 of the 119 constituencies, the opposition Congress and BJP are holding their cards close to their chests. Congress faces a problem of plenty - many claimants for each seat - and BJP too has seen an unending tug-of-war among its own leaders. During his recent visit to Telangana, BJP national general secretary B L Santhosh had told many of its reluctant senior leaders, including the four sitting Lok Sabha MPs, to fight the assembly elections.

The BRS is hoping for the first-mover advantage by also being the first to release its manifesto and give out B-forms. KCR will release both on October 15. While Congress had released its six assurances after the Congress Working Committee meeting on September 17 and 18, it is yet to declare its manifesto.
Analysts say the key question in this election is whether KCR should be given another term after being in office for two consecutive terms. The chief minister is set to hit the road from October 15, holding multiple public meetings across the state. BRS is hoping that, as the man who delivered Telangana, his campaigning will bring many of the upset voters back into the fold.

BJP leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy claims a silent wave for the party in Telangana, while Congress leader G Niranjan says his party is the only alternative. BRS leader KT Rama Rao is hopeful of a third term on the treasury benches.
Political strategist Errabelli Rajanikanth says that a lot will depend on whether the battle for Telangana is triangular or bipolar. The division of anti-incumbency votes between Congress and BJP will play a key role in how the BRS performs when the results are declared on December 3.