The South India Times
(MS Shanker)
As expected, the Election Commission of India has given the nod to the state chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s proposal to convert his regional outfit, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) into Bhartiya Rashtra Samiti (BRS). KCR formally unveiled the new party within hours of the receipt of communication from the EC. However, none can deny the challenge before KCR, who will counter two other established parties like the BJP and the Congress. Many political analysts› perception is that the Congress decimation may come true with the recent outcomes in Gujarat. None can also deny the Congress Party retrieving its image by winning in Himachal Pradesh. With an emphatic win in Himachal Pradesh capturing 40 out of 68, the Congress continues to be a factor that cannot be ignored.
Yet another fledgling rival is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which is bound to make its appearance in the forthcoming elections in Karnataka, where it has few links and structures in place. If so, the issue that needs to be addressed is which way will the quadrangular electoral contest between national political parties – Congress, BJP, AAP and the BRS – will play out not only in Karnataka but also in Telangana.
But, how far is KCR sticking to his earlier plans to go along with neighboring Karnataka where elections are due in April/May 2023? Is it possible for him to shift the mindset of his electorate’s ‘regional sentiment’ to ‘national-centric’? Is the electorate willing to back KCR, when they have a better option of a ‘tested national party like the BJP’ or the age-old Congress, which has all the experience of ‘governing’ the country as it ruled the country for more than six decades ever since the nation attained independence? In 2014, KCR’s TRS rode to power exploiting the regional sentiment. Has he succeeded in implementing all aspirations of the so-called backward state into a prosperous one like either Maharashtra or Gujarat or Tamil Nadu or Karnataka, to name a few? Is the electorate unaware of the fact that the state’s outstanding debt is multiplying and even crossed over Rs. five lakh crores? Also, each farmers household loans nearly Rs.1,50,000.00 KCR’s confidence may be out of his successful schemes like “Dalit Bhandhu” or “Rythu Bandhu’.The government’s annual burden of ‘Rythu Bandhu› is around Rs 15,000 crore. And, the Dalit Bandhu has another Rs 10,000 crore burden on the state exchequer. Apart from these two, the KCR government’s decision to reduce the age limit for old-age pension from 60 to 57 years will add another Rs 25,000 crore from the earlier Rs 11,600 crore. There are complaints that many of the beneficiaries of these three schemes and many others are pending for more than 3-4 months.
Yet, he promises to replicate these schemes across the country. And such promises may help him not only to retain power for the third time in the state but also win considerable seats in other neighboring states.Also, the AAP may not be too far behind in offering «Freebies» like the free 300-electricity units, free bus travel for women, and so on. Will KCR also add them to his list «Freebies»? Can Telangana bear the additional burden without imposing taxes? Sources close to him claim that their leader is confident to turn the tide against the surging BJP and divided Congress ; hence he wants to go for early polls.
However, they are unwilling to explain whether the electorate is willing to accept a change. The great hurry of KCR to go to polls is only to prevent the existing anti-incumbency factor from getting further strengthened if he has to wait till scheduled next November.
The BRS Party leaders claim that KCR may soon write to the Election Commission through the Union Home Ministry, to hold elections along with the neighboring Karnataka. He and the ‘think tank’ in his party are of the firm opinion that if the state polls are clubbed with the neighboring Karnataka, the new BRS has a chance to scrape through from the jaws of defeat, but also make its presence felt along with the Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) in Karnataka.
In sum, the real challenge on hand for KCR includes: ‘how can the state electorate overcome the ‘regional’ sentiment factor which is embedded too deeply in their psyche? Where is the guarantee that the electorate may turn around and ask ‘where is the need for a shift as there are many unfulfilled promises left behind, including bringing in the facelift of Karimnagar and Warangal with world-class infra like Singapore or Malaysia;, or turning the state into ‘Bangaru Telangana”? Also, raise questions over his government’s reckless promises which pushed the state into ‘red’?
