Chandrababu Naidu-KCR fight to escalate to National level

All is set for the final round of battle as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has issued B forms to all its candidates and has given directions to them on the line they should take during their campaign. TRS chief Chandrashekar Rao is also set to take up a whirlwind tour of the State. The manifesto is likely to be announced on November 18h or 19.

On the other hand, the Congress-led grand alliance is also ready to go to people and take up campaign and is likely to launch an attack on Chandrashekar Rao and his family and how even people of Telangana including leaders like Prof Kodandaram, Prof Haragopal and Gaddar have been insulted by TRS.

As the State political scenario is entering an interesting phase, one thing that needs to be understood is that this fight is not going to end after the Assembly elections. It is going to be a showdown between two Chandras - TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu even after that. The target of both these leaders is Lok Sabha and all the strategies are being drawn keeping that in mind.

The stakes for these two leaders seem to be high. Naidu is making quick moves to bring all anti-BJP parties under one roof to ensure that the BJP is defeated at national level. The response he got so far is encouraging.

The indications that BJP would face serious anti-incumbency factor in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh seem to have further heightened his spirits and If the grand alliance in Telangana also succeeds in restricting the number of seats of the TRS, it would be an added advantage to him.

Naidu has certainly taken up a dangerous game. The big question is what if the Congress fails to come to power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The real trouble would begin from that very date for Naidu. The YSRCP, Pawan Kalyan and the BJP would intensify their attack against the TDP and Naidu. It also remains to be seen if the BJP would formally enter into poll understanding or alliance with them.

If the BJP loses elections in these States, then it would become easy for the proposed national alliance to put the BJP in place during Lok Sabha elections, then his importance at national level would again go up and he can emerge as kingmaker and extract his pound of flesh from the Central government. If the BJP comes back to power at the Centre with reduced majority, then once again there is a possibility of politics of vendetta coming to fore and the State may be deprived of funds.

On the other hand, clear indications are available that the all these moves are being carefully studied by Chandrasekhar Rao since he can very well read the mind and moves of Naidu thanks to his long association with him in undivided Andhra Pradesh and as he had played a vital role in the yellow party for several years. His attack on Naidu in election campaign was also a well thought out strategy.

Chandrashekar Rao, the party insiders say, will invest all his energies to ensure that he is firmly back in the saddle and after December 11, he will start planning for creating a viable national alternative to the NDA and the UPA.

They continue to maintain that the ideology of the BJP and the TRS is totally different and there is no way they can come together. Of course, it is little difficult to believe this. The TRS feels that if they win 15 Lok Sabha seats, they will have greater say at the national level. Well, it means once again it is going to be KCR v/s Naidu during Lok Sabha elections.