Analysis | High stakes poll in Telangana, BRS confident, Congress hopes to replicate Karnataka magic, BJP on edge

Telangana Assembly elections 2023 will be a multi-cornered contest between BRS, BJP and Congress. BRS has a head start with its welfare and developmental schemes, while BJP is banking on anti-incumbency and corruption. Congress is hoping to replicate its success in Karnataka with its six guarantees

An interesting no-holds-barred multi-cornered contest is on the cards in Telangana as the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the 2023 elections to Legislative Assemblies in the State in a single phase on Monday. 

The stakes are really high for the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) (earlier TRS), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. While the BRS is banking on its welfare and developmental schemes to perform a hat trick, the BJP intends to ride on the anti-incumbency and family rule mired in corruption. And, the Congress is pinning its hopes on the party’s spectacular performance in neighbouring Karnataka. It is determined to repeat the same magic in Telangana with its six guarantees.

In a perfect head start, BRS supremo and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao stumped the Opposition by announcing candidates for 115 constituencies in August this year even as the rival BJP and the Congress did not even begin the process.

It may be mentioned here that the ECI had announced the schedule for Telangana Assembly elections-2018 on 23 October of 2018. Elections were held on December 7 and results announced on 11 December, 2018. Mr. Rao had taken a calculated risk in 2018 by going for early elections in September that year when his government still had nine months to go before end of the term.

The 2018 elections saw the BRS and BJP going alone while the Congress forged a Grand Alliance (Maha Kutami) by joining hands with is arch rival Telugu Desam Party (TDP), taking on board Telangana Jana Samiti of Prof. Kodandaram and the CPI. The MIM chose to tread its own path by contesting the seats in its stronghold of Old City of Hyderabad.

In the 119 member House, the BRS won a landslide with 88 seats garnering 46.87% vote share followed by the Congress 19, the MIM seven, the TDP two, the BJP one, the All-India Forward Bloc one and Independent one.

The Grand Alliance fared miserably as the Congress tie-up with the TDP undid its efforts. The BRS raked up the statehood sentiment and projected TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu as anti-Telangana and succeeded in its campaign.