Alliance of TDP and TRS

The alliance of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is finalized. TDP is giving 46 Assembly seats and 9 Parliament seats to TRS. TDP is contesting in 50 Assembly seats out of 119, and 4 Parliament seats out of 17. TDP is giving the remaining seats to Communists. This is the first time for TDP to give that many seats to other parties. Till now, they have given maximum 15% seats to other parties, and now they directly jumped to 60% in Telangana region.

I cannot understand why TDP is degraded to such a situation. But, it is a big advantage for Loksatta.

K.Chandra Shekar Rao is the Chief of TRS party. He won from Karimnagar parliamentary constituency in 2004. In 2006, in an argument with Congress Leader M.Satayanarayana Rao, he resigned to his M.P. seat and contested again there. He won with more than 2 lakh majority. In 2008, all his MLAs and MPs resigned and contested again. The people got fed up with him for repeatedly resigning, and they voted for other parties which can win. Out of 16 assembly constituencies, TRS won 7, Congress won 5 and TDP won 4. Out of 4 parliament constituencies, TRS won 2 (one is KCR himself), Congress and TDP won one each. KCR won with a majority of 15,000, a big drop from 2 lakh in the previous election. At that time, people had chosen the party which can defeat TRS in that election, and voted for that. By that, TRS lost badly.

In Dec 2007, MLA of Khairathabad at that time, P.Janardhan Reddy, died and by-election was conducted with the 16 assembly constituencies vacated by TRS. P.Janardhan Reddy's son P.Vishnuvardhan reddy contested from Khairatabad and won with a big majority. In that election, Loksatta's candidate Katari Srinivasa Rao came in second position and TRS got third position. TDP did not contest in exchange of similar situation in Terlam, where the MLA of Aleru died, and his son contested from TDP, and Congress did not contest from there. Sympathy was a major factor in the easy win of Congress.

Khairatabad was a very big constituency. In the restructure of all the assembly and parliament constituencies, it was split into four constituencies, Khairatabad, Kukatpally, Serilingampally and Jubilee Hills. Loksatta Candidate in the last by-election Katari Srinivasa Rao is going to contest from Serilingampally in the next general elections.

I was campaigning in Serilingampally constituency and there was one common concern among many educated people. Those who understand economics little bit know that, Congress is destroying the state. It is must to bring down the Congress government to save the state. So, they said, because, they do not want Congress, they are going to vote for TDP which is the next probable win. They also said, if TDP does not contest, then they would vote for Loksatta.

Anyone who understand economics can clearly say that, Jayaprakash Narayan and Chandrababu Naidu are the only leaders in Andhra Pradesh, who do not make state to go bankrupt. Congress had already emptied entire treasury. Chiranjeevi is the one who does not know anything about economics. When he was asked the question, whether he is Leftist or rightist, he replied that, he is a humanist. Till now he has not disclosed his manifesto or his economic policies. If TDP is not going contest at any place, then I am sure, most of the voters would prefer to vote for Loksatta instead of other parties. So, this alliance is of big advantage to Loksatta than any other party.

By the way, TRS is going to contest in Serilingampally, and most probably Katari Srinivasa Rao would be first in the list of MLAs of Loksatta.