Telangana Chief Minister and BRS president K. Chandrashekhar Rao shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting his vote for the State Assembly elections, at Chintamadaka in Siddipet district, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.
Credit: PTI Photo
As the polling results for Telangana elections are coming in, Congress is inching towards a landslide victory in India's youngest state.
It was a Congress vs Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) fight since the beginning in Telangana as BJP's presence is considered miniscule in the southern state.
Pollsters believe that anti-incumbency factor was the major reason for BRS' downfall on its home turf. Besides, voter fatigue, and dissatisfaction among the youth contributed mainly to the poor showing of BRS. Also, the party's perceived inaccessible leaders contributed to the growing anti-incumbency sentiments.
Additionally, the Opposition projection of what they called the 'BRS family rule' in the state further exacerbated this sentiment. The party's decision to renominate most of the 119 MLAs did not yield the desired results either.
While BRS introduced various welfare schemes, its alleged failure to fulfill key election promises, including providing housing for the poor, ensuring significant job creation, doling out unemployment relief, as well as the delayed implementation of farmers' loan waivers, and the leak of recruitment test question papers worked against them.
Led by K Chandrasekhar Rao, BRS has been in power in Telangana since it was carved out from the undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014. KCR won the consecutive elections and remained seated to power.
What we saw in this election was a spirited campaign put up by Congress with a clear ambition to unseat the decade-old KCR dispensation. Besides, we also witnessed BJP launching a full-scale attack on the incumbent BRS.
Some netizens were quick to point out that apart from anti-incumbency, BRS' sole focus on developing capital Hyderabad and ignoring the rural belt of the state also resulted in the party's poor performance. Also, a few believe that a considerable number of Muslim vote fell into Congress' kitty this time.
All in all, this sweet victory will further solidify Congress' position in south India after shunting out BJP in the neighbouring Karnataka this year.
Besides, results coming in from the Hindi heartland is clearly going to disappoint the Grand Old Party as BJP is poised to make a superlative comeback in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
BRS' national dream shattered?
BRS was previously called Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). KCR had rechristened the party's name last year to give it a pan-India feel to take on the Modi-Shah-led BJP juggernaut in the run-up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, Sunday's development will definitely hurt BRS' dream of a bigger role in national politics.
"You (people) have to listen carefully. In the upcoming days, after 2024, there will be a coalition government formed, not a single-party governance. When we will win across all MP seats, then we can show our power in Delhi. There will be an amalgamation of regional parties and not national parties. I want you to take note of the same," KCR gave this statement last month while campaigning for his party.
The outgoing CM would rather want to swallow his words now after facing rout by the hands of Congress in his home state.
Today's defeat will compel BRS to self-analyse its nation-wide political ambition and how it plans to tread ahead for the high-voltage Lok Sabha elections to be held next year.
With BRS keeping itself at an arm's distance from the I.N.D.I.A alliance, teamed with its constant clash with Congress, KCR's party and its future in the national political landscape has to be carefully carved out before time runs out.
(With PTI inputs)