'Mass versus class' in mantle tussle?

HYDERABAD: Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's announcement that he is game for playing a role in national politics has raised questions about who will succeed him as chief minister if he were to demit that post. The two names that come immediately to mind are his son K T Rama Rao and nephew T Harish Rao.
KTR holds several portfolios, including the important ones of municipal administration and IT. Harish Rao is irrigation minister and has other portfolios too. Interestingly, both K T Rama Rao and Harish Rao in recent times have reiterated that KCR would continue as CM for 15-20 years and that there was no question of talking about succession.

KTR has made a name for himself, especially in his role as IT minister. He is known not just in the state, but at national and international level. As municipal administration minister, by his own admission, he has to do more. Another feather in his cap was the winning of GHMC elections.

On the other hand, Harish Rao is someone who is trying to make KCR's dreams come true. He is overseeing irrigation projects so that, as promised by the CM, one crore acres of land would be irrigated. One observation about the leaders is that: While KTR is described as 'class', Harish is said to be 'mass'.

There is also no reason why KCR's daughter and Nizamabad MP Kavitha would not want to throw her hat in the ring. If it were to be an outsider, which is unlikely, there are many senior leaders, including agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, who KCR often praises, or deputy chief minister Kadiam Srihari.

Meanwhile, one school of thought is that KCR would remain CM while trying to play a role in national politics in 2019 elections.