Political tides in Telangana Premium

The outcome of the Lok Sabha election for the 17 seats in Telangana has been a mix of sweet and sour experiences for all the major political parties.

The outcome of the Lok Sabha election for the 17 seats in Telangana has been a mix of sweet and sour experiences for all the major political parties.

The BJP is elated for having doubled its tally to eight seats and this has been amply rewarded with the elevation of State unit chief G. Kishan Reddy yet again as a Union Cabinet Minister. Firebrand leader and former chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar, winning his second consecutive Lok Sabha election from Karimnagar, has been appointed as Minister of State in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet.

The ruling Congress party missed out on an opportunity to continue its winning streak though its numbers had risen from three in 2019 polls to eight. It exuded confidence on crossing the double digit mark but party chief and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had to sweat it out in the north Telangana region against the BJP resurgence.

The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) faced a significant setback, losing all seats and failing to retain deposits in as many as eight constituencies. This indicates that the drubbing received in the Assembly election last year winning only 39 against Congress tally of 64 is fresh in people’s minds.

The party’s strength has already come down to 38 technically with the loss of its candidate in the by-election to Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly Constituency after the tragic death of its MLA G. Lasya Nanditha. The party fielded her sibling G. Niveditha this time but she lost the election. In reality, the BRS’s numbers are down to 35 now as Danam Nagender, Kadiyam Srihari and Tellam Venkat Rao were elected on the party symbol but have already joined the ruling Congress and more could follow suit in the coming months for ‘power’.

Majlis Party chief Asaduddin Owaisi retained the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency with a margin of over three lakh votes even as his rival and political novice Madhavi Latha of the BJP caused a buzz on social media with provocative stances. Yet, it needs to stay alert as the massive outreach programme of the BJP to gain a foothold in the old city can be ignored at its own peril.

The Congress Party riding strong on its five months of governance needs to do some soul searching as Mr. Revanth Reddy termed the Lok Sabha polls as a ‘referendum’ for his government. The results showed it had lost the majority in 15 seats which it had won during the Assembly elections.