Post MLC debacle, TRS may put off GHMC poll

Hyderabad: The MLC elections to Mahabubnagar- Ranga Reddy– Hyderabad, Nalgonda- Khammam and Warangal Graduates constituencies have sounded a note of caution to the TRS. The polls, which were a straight political battle between the TRS and BJP saw all the big and mighty leaders from both sides campaigning for their candidates, has given every reason for the saffron party to feel happy and celebrate while it has sounded alarm bells for the pink party.

This election results, according to political observers, will make the TRS to try and delay the GHMC polls and also by-elections to the Sanathnagar Assembly constituency which is represented by Talsani Srinivas Yadav who had migrated from TDP to TRS and has become a minister. The election results indicate that the BJP after 2007 has regained its hold on Graduates constituency which certainly is a positive sign for them.

The BJP-TDP combination and electoral calculations seems to have worked well in the Mahabubnagar constituency. The TRS, which had swept the Secunderabad Cantonment elections recently, had claimed that the party had grown in these two districts in the last nine months and had achieved record membership. But following the results, a senior Minister told The Hans India that they failed in Hyderabad constituency as they were organisationally weak in these two districts.

He also felt that the non-Telangana voters had not believed in the assurances given by KCR before the elections. The voting pattern is interesting in Nalgonda constituency as well and should come as an eye opener for the ruling party. The TRS, which had swept the polls in Telangana, had to struggle to win in Nalgonda Graduates constituency. Either the TRS was complacent both in Hyderabad and Nalgonda districts or it failed to gauge the mood of the people.

TRS had also won the graduates constituency since 2007 to 2013 but this time it has been a rough ride for them. Though the BJP had not won in Nalgonda, the voting pattern indicates that they had done extremely well on a barren ground which is a clear indication that discontent against the TRS had begun. The anti-TRS sentiment was clearly visible in the voting pattern in both the constituencies.

Though all the Left-wing parties had supported a single candidate and ran an outright political campaign, including bus yatra, the BJP gave several tense moments for the opponents particularly the TRS. It has successfully capitalised on the displeasure against the government which is certainly a point to underline.

Though the Congress had for the first time entered the fray thanks to the unilateral decision of former TPCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah, it lacked strategy and had to swallow the bitter pill. The nervousness on the part of TRS was clearly visible as the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao did not attend the Assembly on Thursday even when the Appropriation Bill was put to vote.

By:V Ramu Sarma