Telangana

Did TRS discreetly sound the poll bugle in Telangana?

With Assembly elections due in Telangana next year, it looks like the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is prepping up for the elections quite seriously. Usually, a year before the elections, the ruling government stops sanctioning new projects or deals and only clears all pending issues. 

Currently, if you look at the TRS, Minister for IT, Panchayat Raj and Urban Development, KT Rama Rao (KTR) is meeting with several journalists and media heads, trustworthy sources say. This is part of the strategy that election strategist, Prashant Kishor, has chalked out for the TRS after he took over the election campaign and consultancy deal for TRS in the state. 

Similarly, former MP of TRS, K. Kavitha also has been meeting women journalists on and off the record in an attempt to boost the party’s image in media and eventually, projecting a positive image in public. Additionally, with BJP growing stronger in Telangana and trying to rake up religious sentiments, the TRS is wary of the saffron’s party’s moves and is watching its steps carefully. 

Simultaneously, the saffron party is not backing off and is giving a tough fight to the ruling TRS. BJP leader Bandi Sanjay is doing a Padayatra in the state to boost the party’s image at a time when Congress is seen as a weakening force. Given a strong 12% Muslim population in Telangana and the presence of AIMIM, the BJP would definitely cash in on religious sentiments and boost the Hindutva message further. 

Despite not much political activity coming out in the open or making it to the media, it looks like every political party in Telangana is preparing ground for the assembly elections. According to sources, there is information that the BJP is trying to attract Revanth Reddy as the dynamic leader is unable to flourish in the fading party. With so many senior leaders who believe they are CM candidates, it seems difficult for Revanth Reddy’s growth. 

Therefore, the BJP wants to cash in on this aspect and use Revanth Reddy for two reasons — 1) To give a strong message to the TRS and show them that they have a CM candidate; 2) To bank and attract the Reddy Community, which is a very strong votebank in Telangana (against the Velma community, which CM KCR and his coterie belongs to).  

While every political party seems to have begun its ground work in the state, it looks like TRS is making the most of this opportunity. It looks like the pink party has already sounded the poll bugle, albeit silently! Hush Hush! (We have elections in 2023!)

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Tejaswini Pagadala

Communications Consultant: TEJASWINI PAGADALA is an independent communications consultant. She has previously worked with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office as the Communications Officer where she has written English speeches for the CM, managed English media communication from the CMO and handled social media accounts of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and the Government.
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