TS towards unpredictable Assembly poll
The State sentiment which dominated the 2014 and 2018 elections is likely to wane this time with the TRS transforming itself into the Bharat Rashtra Samithi
Hyderabad: The Assembly elections scheduled in Telangana towards the end of 2023 will be different from the first two elections in India's youngest State. Telangana sentiment which dominated the 2014 and 2018 elections is likely to wane this time with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) transforming itself into the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to play a key role in national politics.
The party led by K Chandrasekhar Rao aka KCR replaced Telangana with Bharat in its name to suit its plans to expand its footprint to other States in the country.
As the State entered the election year, there is no clarity if KCR will go for early polls as he did in 2018. Whenever elections are held, one thing is certain. There will be multiple players, which may make the electoral battle very interesting, whose outcome will be tough to guess.
As KCR is inviting the chief ministers of other States and leaders of non-BJP and non-Congress parties to Hyderabad to make a strong pitch for replicating the Telangana model at the national level, the stakes will be high for the BRS to retain power in Telangana.
Will KCR become the first chief minister in South India to win a third consecutive term in power is the question being debated in political circles. Political observers say while there will be anti-incumbency as the party has been in power since the formation of the State, it will be interesting to see what strategy KCR comes out with to overcome the anti-incumbency.
KCR, who led the fight for statehood to Telangana and achieved the goal, is seen by many observers as one of the smartest politicians in the country. He always surprised his opponents with his political tactics. One such masterstroke was advancing the Assembly polls by a few months to delink them from the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The outcome of both the polls proved he played his cards carefully.
After winning the mandate in 2014 to lead the new State on the path of development, KCR advanced the polls by 5-6 months, citing the attempts by the rivals to dislodge his government and seeking another mandate to build 'Bangaru Telangana' (Golden Telangana). The TRS increased its majority. On both the occasions, the Telangana sentiment was strong. This time the Telangana sentiment may not be as strong. However, some political analysts believe that the very idea of BRS may be another masterstroke by KCR to retain power.
