Why Cong had to bite the dust in both states

Bitter campaigning marked the run-up to the polls between principal contenders - Congress and TRS in Telangana, and TDP-BJP combine and YSR Congress Party in Seemandhra. The citizens discarded the ruling Congress party after the state’s bifurcation. While the congress did not win a single seat in Seemandhra, it was relegated to the thirds position in Telangana after the TRS and the TDP-BJP.

Congress heavyweights like V Hanumanth Rao (Amberpet), former ministers Danam Nagender (Khairatabad) and M Mukesh Goud (Goshamahal) were defeated.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, an aspirant of the Chief Minister's post lost from Andole in Medak district. He was defeated by veteran Telugu actor Babu Mohan of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Former president of the party's Andhra Pradesh unit, D Srinivas, tasted defeat in Nizamabad rural constituency. Telangana Congress chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah lost in Jangaon constituency in Warangal district.

M Sashidhar Reddy, vice chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NMDA), lost in Sanatnagar constituency. He was a senior minister who won thrice previously.

Senior leader and Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao was defeated in Amberpet constituency by BJP's Telangana unit chief G Kishan Reddy. Here of course the Modi magic worked for the BJP.

The only silver lining for the Congress in Telangana was Dr J Geetha Reddy, K Jana Reddy and N Uttam Kumar Reddy.

In Seemandhra, as predicted, the voters showed their ire at the Congress.

The whole of last week, the Telangana Congress leaders seemed confident of emerging as the single largest party that would lead to a hung Assembly. But on Friday, the Gandhi Bhavan wore a deserted look.

The Congress-led UPA government approved the bifurcation of the state of Andhra Pradesh—into Telangana and Seemandhra. The creation of the state was a gambit but as the results show, the gamble didn’t pay off.

Many Congress ministers blame the tight budget granted for the election. “The party was forced to work with a tight campaign budget. Our counterparts in Telangana region received more money to campaign. In the internal assessment of the Congress, most of the seats in Seemandhra were written off as “very difficult” to win due to the government’s decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. We lost badly in both the regions.”

Sunita Lakshma Reddy, former women and child welfare minister from the Congress, said, “The strategy of a separate Telangana for political gains became obvious to the public.

People wanted a change and they seem to have believed the words of TRS party leaders who promised a golden Telangana. Someone has to lose for the other party to win.”