Telangana Rashtra Samithi, TRS, Telugu Desam Party, TDP, KCR, K Chandrashekhar Rao, TJS, CPI, Andhra Election, Congress, Congress alliance telangana
The opposition Congress-led grand alliance in Telangana has, after days of discussion, finally decided on the sharing of seats between the constituents. The Congress, being the biggest party, will contest 93 seats, while the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) will contest 14, 3 and 8 seats in the 119-member assembly.
The four parties, earlier this year, announced the alliance that was formed to take on the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) led by caretaker chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. The matter had been delayed as the TJS was unhappy with the five seats it was given earlier and had asked for a bigger share. The matter was, however, resolved through discussions.
The Congress on Thursday also cleared 74 names of candidates. The remaining 19 names are expected to be released before the filing of nominations begins on 12 November.
The candidates have been decided only on the basis of their chances of winning, said a senior Congress leader who did not want to be named.
“The one-family-one-ticket rule is also being followed, except in cases where sitting MLAs (members of legislative assembly) are strong in their constituencies. We can’t take any chance, as we have to defeat the TRS at any cost. No new person has been given tickets this time as well,” said the Congress leader.
The forthcoming polls are crucial for many senior Congress leaders, whose political careers might come to an end if they lose.
The coming together of the Congress and TDP has surprised everyone, given that the latter was formed as an anti-Congress party in 1982 by its founder and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N.T Rama Rao.
The TDP will mostly contest seats in the Greater Hyderabad (surrounding areas of the city) region, which has a considerable population of migrants from Andhra Pradesh. N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister, is also expected to campaign for the TDP in Telangana.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature in Telangana is 20 November. The state goes to polls on 7 December and the results will be declared on 11 December along with those of four other states.