Interpreting landslide

It’s a landslide. It’s a triumph. It’s a clean sweep. The people of Hyderabad cutting across all loyalties have resolved that TRS helming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) was a historic necessity for the city. And they delivered the overwhelming verdict. Irrespective of the explanations for such a massive lopsided pattern, the moot point is that it is a clear positive vote for KCR. The Warangal and the Hyderabad mandates reflect the outright thumbs up for Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

This unprecedented victory would trigger significant political realignments with the possible exodus into the ruling party. K T Rama Rao has been anointed as the heir-apparent thereby putting an end to the succession debate. The TDP-BJP relation may turn complex, though the political necessities in Andhra Pradesh would define the relations between the two parties in Telangana.

The Congress has to reinvent itself if it has to have any political identity, despite it being the main opposition party in the Legislative Assembly. The TRS, though it kept MIM in reserve, need not depend on the latter to rule the city. It’s a happy augury. With the new-found public support, it could even penetrate into the traditional strongholds of MIM to the extent that this could redefine the relations between the two parties.

The TRS would gain if it estranges MIM and emerge as a force to reckon in the Old City rather than rely on the whims and fancies of Owaisis. The landslide for TRS may even increase the index of opposition unity. This was evident in the last Assembly session itself, and, more so, in the wake of the recent pre-poll violence.

Many factors defined this verdict. People are with KCR and it is an endorsement to his rule. The slew of welfare measures initiated by TRS government has raised millions of hopes for the poor. The development vision forcefully put forth by KCR obviously attracted the middle and upper classes alike. The Seemandhra voter seems to have reconciled to the fact that Telangana is a separate State and TRS is the party that rules it.

The politics has become fragile. Party system has weakened. There has been an exodus from opposition parties to the ruling party. Such an exodus devoid of any political commitment can swing in any direction if there is a change in political climate. It’s more a mandate for State government, which eclipses the fact that elections were held for a municipal body.

The TRS has certainly rewritten the political history of the state capital. But, then it is also time for being cautious. The nature of the mandate shows the magnitude of hopes that rests on TRS. Politics have a strange character of changing colours and content at a rapid pace.

A tale of two mandates in Delhi is an illustration. But, Indian politics has moved away from the phase of pro or anti incumbencies. Perform or perish is the new mantra. The TRS has now a greater responsibility to perform much better.