KCR tie-up with the BJP to be kept under wraps to save Muslim votes

Unwilling to be caught in the midst of a national election where different issues would dominate, Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) has decided to advance polls to the state assembly and has recommended dissolution of Telangana assembly about six months in advance. In 2014, the state assembly polls were held along with the polls for Lok Sabha and indications are that this time around the electors would vote for the assembly along with Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan and in November. It seems that the Election Commission may not be unwilling to hold an early election in Telangana.

From appearances it is also very clear that KCR has kept Prime Minister Narendra Modi (who he has met twice in the last two months) in the loop. Modi may not be unwilling for the earlier polls in Telangana given the fact that BJP by itself has been unable to gather adequate traction in the state in the last few years. So by all accounts the polls in Telangana will be a straight fight between the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and the Congress. Since Congress is the rival of the BJP at the national level, it suits Modi and Amit Shah if KCR fights in the Congress. It is understood that KCR has proposed an informal tie up between the TRS and BJP at the national level and promised support to the BJP bid for the next government. However before the elections this will remain an informal arrangement. KCR who has taken a number of welfare measures to benefit the Muslims wants to poll a majority of their votes. A tie up with BJP might put this in jeopardy.

After announcement of the proposal for an election, KCR has gone ballistic against the Congress and has made none too complimentary references to the party president Rahul Gandhi. This is possibly to make his preferences clear to the BJP bosses.

Before 2014 when Telangana state was created by the Congress led national government, KCR was is close touch with the Congress bosses and would refer to Sonia Gandhi as someone who was like his mother. In fact after Telangana had been created he called on Sonia Gandhi with his entire family including grandchildren. He had proposed that his party TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti) would be merged with the Congress provided he was given independent charge of the party unit in Telangana. But the proposal did not find favour with the Congress bosses. Thereafter KCR went against the Congress. Thus TRS and Congress fought the 2014 elections in opposition to each other.

Although the proposal to grant Telangana had been taken by the Congress-led UPA government, in the elections, KCR was seen as the creator of Telangana by the voters. Thus TRS was able to come number 1 and formed the government. At that time, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) though primarily an Andhra party led by Chandrababu Naidu, had its strong hold in Telangana.

But TDP’s Telangana chief Revanth Reddy was arrested after allegedly trying to buy a nominated MLA to switch sides and vote against the TRS government. A tape surfaced and a voice said to be that of Chandrababu Naidu was heard telling the nominated MLA that Revanth Reddy had his blessings. Naidu was not charged, so there was no way to ascertain the genuineness of the tape but Revanth Reddy was jailed.

Shortly thereafter Naidu, was who was then running the Andhra Pradesh government after the bifurcation of the state from Hyderabad, decided to go away from the city and began operating from Vijayawada and his new proposed capital at Amaravati. He also virtually abandoned the TDP in Telangana many of whose members defected to the TRS.

The going way of Naidu invoked panic amongst the Andhra origin residents of Hyderabad. This was especially so as Telangana movement was based on anti-Andhra sentiments. But KCR was quick to allay their fears and began to promote big Andhra investors. Below the surface anti-Andhra sentiments are existent among a section of Telangana population, feel some Andhra-origin residents of Hyderabad. How this will impact on the forthcoming elections is not known. However, realising that the future of Telangana is dependent on investments from outside, KCR like Naidu before, is assiduously courting investors. KCR is also using large advertisements across the board – nationally – through newspapers, television, and bill boards to build his image.

For starters, KCR who rules the state with an iron hand in the manner of feudal lord seems to have a clear lead over the opposition. Although KCR has announced his candidates for the majority of the seats for the polls (including his own), analysts believe that he would migrate to national politics shortly leaving the chief minister’s position to his son K Taraka Rama Rao (KTR). The savvy KTR is presently an important minister in the KCR government and is instrumental in getting a string of hi-tech investments into Hyderabad.