ANDHRA & LOK SABHA 2014

THE BATTLE ROYAL FOR SEEMANDHRA

I started this series - State & Lok Sabha 2014 in the last week of February when I wanted to discuss the effect the creation of Andhra Pradesh would have over the various political parties active in this part of the country. Of course, over the last two and a half months, the whole series has got a very good response which has propelled me to continue writing about the way different states will vote i.e. in my opinion. The learning about the politicians and political parties too has been extremely satisfying; I am sure that this knowledge will come in handy while analyzing elections in the future. Moreover, I did try my hand at predictions and have given the numbers that I believe the different outfits will get this time. Having encompassed 29 states, I think we have come a full circle as we discuss the other half of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh - the Seemandhra and Rayalseema regions. 

Meanwhile, the state that sent the maximum number of Congress MPs to consecutive UPA regimes at the Centre seems to be voting differently. The Congress, after dividing Andhra seems to be heading for a disaster. The YSR Congress led by Jagan Mohan is on a roll, many believing that the Jagan juggernaut will end up as the single largest player and make it a prized catch for all major coalitions in New Delhi. On the other hand, Chandrababu Naidu too is keen in coming back into the limelight. In a bid to stop the YSRCP from running away with a massive tally, he joined back the NDA after a period of ten years. Former CM Kiran Kumar tried to exonerate himself from taking the blame for the division by resigning and forming the JSP. In a four cornered battle, who has the edge. Lets see if we can answer this question.

ISSUES

(1) Division of the state: No prizes for guessing as to which is the biggest election issue ahead of the Lok Sabha and state polls this time in Andhra. The kind of protests and the demonstrations that were seen both in the Parliament and the streets in Seemandhra tell us that the bifurcation is an extremely emotive subject. After being the fulcrum of two successive UPA regimes, there is no way that the voters in Andhra are going to forgive the Congress for this step which it seems to have taken in haste. One of the big problem area between the two new states is the capital city of Hyderabad. With many people from the coast having business interest in the IT destination, they wanted it to remain a part of Andhra. However, considering that the metropolis is situated right inside Telangana, there was no way this could be achieved. At present though, Hyderabad has been declared as joint capital for 10 years. The three regional players - the TDP, the YSRCP and the JSP have used the issue of bifurcation to train their guns on the INC.

(2) Getting a fair deal for Seemandhra: Whether you like it or not, Telangana is a reality. With this in mind, parties are now trying to get a fair deal - read as 'Special Economic Package', to soothe the nerves of the people in Seemandhra and Rayalseema. Amongst the issues that need to be settled between the new states is water sharing; considering the water disputes between other southern states, this seems to be a tough tasks. Also, Andhra has to get a new capital and the names doing the rounds include Vishakapatnam, Kurnool, Guntur, Tirupati and Vijaywada. Besides, the large number of people from the coast who have settled in Hyderabad need to be protected against bias of all kinds. The Congress tried to use this subject to protect its interest with Sonia Gandhi urging leaders to provide 'Special Status' to Andhra. However, at least the Opinion Polls suggest that the people are not willing to trust the grand old party, at least for the time being.

CONTENDERS

(1) Congress: After that incredible showing in 2009 wherein the party won 33 out of the 42 seats in AP, things started to go wrong for it after the tragic death of its charismatic CM Y S Rajashekar Reddy in a helicopter crash in September 2009. The party underestimated his son and Kadappa MP Jagan Mohan who went ahead with his yatra in spite of the opposition from the all high command. As the INC placed Rosaiah and then Kiran Kumar Reddy at the helm of affairs, Jagan launched the YSRCP. While the state government did manage to complete its full term, it lost a series of by elections to the newly launched regional outfit although Jagan was in the jail for over an year on charges of disproportionate assets. 

Fearing a blank here, the Congress devised a new strategy. It was to go ahead and form Telangana and earn the good will of the people there. Next, it hoped that the TRS would merge into it to further improve its prospects in the 17 parliamentary seats there. Also, it was hopeful that it could convince Jagan to join the UPA after the results were announced. Thus it could potentially still end up with 20 to 25 seats. However, in politics things don't go the way you want it to and the 'grand plan' flopped. The TRS refused to merge into the Congress whereas YSRCP too is not very keen to be a part of the UPA considering the anger against the INC on the ground. Meanwhile, it seems to be that the BJP has benefited from the fiasco at the expense of its rival. It has allied with the TDP and is also known to be wooing KCR's regional outfit in Telangana. 

In the run up to the polls, as many as nine sitting MPs from the region have jumped ship to other parties fearing that an association with the INC could potentially end their political careers. Even the incumbent CM Kiran Kumar Reddy has quit the Congress to float a new party. As such, film star Chiranjeevi is leading the party's election campaign here. Five Union Minister - K.C. Deo (Araku), Killi Krupa Rani (Srikakulam), M.M. Pallam Raju (Kakinada), Panabaka Lakshmi (Bapatla) and Kotla Jayasuryaprakash Reddy (Kurnool) and few new faces including social worker Thota Vijayalakshmi (Anakapalle) and MLC Vakati Narayana Reddy (Nellore) have been given tickets.

(2) National Democratic Alliance (NDA): After being sidelined in the state, first by YSR and subsequently by his son, the Telugu Desam party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu is trying hard to make a strong comeback. It was believed that the YSRCP was leading the TDP in the opposition to the formation of Telanagana. However, the recently declared results in the local elections indicate that Naidu holds the edge. Moreover, after rejoining the NDA last month, there could be a consolidation of votes in case the much hyped 'Modi wave' does work in this part of the country. Even as the two parties came together to finalize the seat sharing arrangements, there were protests staged by cadre of both outfits. One week into the alliance, there was trouble again with TDP accusing the BJP of fielding weak candidates in Andhra. With the saffron party conceding few more seats to the regional player, things were finally sorted out. The TDP will contest 17 parliamentary seats here and its nominees include Ramesh Rathod (Adilabad), K Madan Mohan Rao (Zahirabad) and Banoth Mohan Lal (Mahbubabad). The party has given tickets to about three industrialists - Rayapati Sambasiva Rao (Narasaraopet), Galla Jayadev (Guntur) and Nama Nageswara Rao (Khammam).

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was 'hand-in-gloves' with the Congress during the formation of Telangana. Three months down the line while the former struggles in its old fortress, the latter is trying to put up a strong fight. As said earlier, the saffronists are expecting that the Modi wave will help it do well even in those states where it was never a strong player in the past. The tie-up with former ally - the TDP has further helped their cause. In fact, the importance of this alliance for the NDA as a whole can be deduced from the fact that the national party even gave up some of its assembly seats just to please the sulking Naidu. The nominees include party president Dr. K Haribabu (Vishakapatnam), former Union Minister Purandeshwari (Rajmpeta) who quit the Congress recently, Gokaraju Ganga Raju (Narsaraopur) and Karumanchi Jayaram (Tirupati).

Power star Pawan Kalyan too has pledged his support to the NDA in the run up to the 2014 General Polls in spite of the fact that his brother Chiranjeevi is with the Congress. It was earlier believed that he was to launch a political party to fight for the unity of the state. Meanwhile, he has been a star campaigner for the NDA alliance in Andhra as well as neighboring Karnataka.

(3) Y S R Congress Party (YSRCP): After the Congress refused to anoint him as the CM of Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Mohan Reddy left the grand old party to form the YSRCP to en cash on the emotions of the people who were saddened by the tragic death of his extremely popular father. Of course, the Congress tried its best to nip the newly formed outfit in the bud. While the junior Reddy was put behind the bars for 16 months, he fought back, winning by-election after by-election at the expense of Congress. The Union government's decision to split Andhra helped him further expand his party's reach in newer areas. Many were expecting the Jagan juggernaut to sweep the state, especially after a host of leaders from the INC joined him. However, the TDP-BJP pre-poll alliance has to some extent, stemmed the YSRCP wave in the coast. The results of the recently concluded local polls came in as a shocker for the party. Meanwhile, the YSRCP's candidates for Lok Sabha 2014 include Jagan's mother Y S Vijayamma (Vishakapatnam), his cousin Y S Avinash Reddy (Kadappa), industrialist Ayodhya Ramireddy (Narsaraopur) and former bureaucrat Varaprasad Rao Velagapalli (Tirupati).

(4) Jai Samaikyandhra Party (JSP): After being in power for over three years, Kiran Kumar Reddy - the last CM of a united Andhra left the Congress to form the JSP. However, the question is was it too late. I mean, Reddy continued to be in power even days before the Parliament went ahead with the division of the state. As such, many people still view the former CM to be one of the persons who did not do much to prevent the bifurcation. Moreover, many of his former cabinet colleagues who had assured Kiran of their support have now gone back on their word. Apart from him, the JSP lacks any face who can help them win any votes.

PAST PERFORMANCES

Finding the exact results for Seemandhra and Rayalseema, similar to the exercise I did for Telangana (Link) is difficult and time consuming. However, I will give a broad sense of how the regions of coastal Andhra and Rayalseema voted over the last five General Elections. In 1996, the TDP and the Congress shared the spoils almost equally in this part of the state. Two years later though, the grand old party held the upper hand. In the following year, it was Naidu who did did well. Over the last two elections, it has been the Congress led by the late CM Y S Rajashekar Reddy which propelled the UPA at the Centre.

MY PREDICTIONS

The TDP-BJP alliance seems to have take been able to take some steam off Jagan's campaign which was going pretty strong till the end of March. I believe that the coalition in a four cornered contest will help the NDA gain an edge over the others. In spite of this, YSR Congress will still give it a tough fought. The Congress, I think will be wiped out whereas the Jai Samaikyandhra Party (JSP) will also end up with a big zero.

	Political Party	Expected Seats
1	NDA (TDP + BJP)	12-16
2	YSR Congress	10-14
3	Congress	0-1
4	Jai Samaikyandhra Party (JSP)	0

WATCH OUT

(1) The 2014 state elections: Though Andhra will go to the polls as a single entity, the new state of Telangana will be carved out on 2^nd June. Now that the split is a reality, the question will be as to who will become the first Chief Minister of Seemandhra post the division. With anger simmering against the Congress, the race is clearly between Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu. While the YSRCP chief has momentum on his side, following the sting of victories in several by-elections, the TDP helped its cause by allying with the BJP.

(2) Congress - a sinking ship: The excellent show in Andhra Pradesh was responsible for the formation of two Congress led UPA regimes in 2004 and 2009. However, post the death of YSR, the revolt of his son Jagan and the furor over the creation of Telangana is set to wipe out the party in this part of the country. The INC has just one leader here - film star Chiranjeevi but with emotions running high, it is unlikely that he will have any impact on the polls. Will the grand old party make a comeback? How many years will it take for the Congress to win back the confidence of the people? Most importantly, who will lead the INC in Andhra?

(3) Naidu makes a comeback? The TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu was once the poster boy in the southern state, credited for the rise of capital Hyderabad as one of the major IT destinations in the country. However, after two successive victories, the TDP was wiped off in 2004 state and Lok Sabha polls which also marked the rise of the Y S Rajashekar Reddy. Naidu tried to put the blame on the BJP as he broke off from the NDA. However, the trend continued in 2009 when, in spite of the grand alliance, Naidu was routed, yet again. Even in the run up to 2014, it was believed that Reddy's son Jagan was becoming the most prominent leader of the Seemandhra region. However, the alliance with the BJP may help Naidu climb the ladder and regain his lost political status.

(4) Which way will Jagan go? All Opinion Polls are predicting the YSRCP to win in excess of 10 seats. Now that makes Jagan Mohan one of the most sought after political ally post May 16 in case both the major formations fall short of majority. In fact, even the YSRCP chief has kept all his options open. Earlier, he had claimed that he did not have any problems in joining hands with the NDA led by Modi. Also, he may even forget the treatment meted out to him by Congress post the death of his father and support the UPA. Moreover, supporting the Third Front will be much more easy, though the possibilities of such a coalition ruling the country is almost negligible.

(5) The future of Kiran Kumar Reddy and the JSP: It is difficult to predict as to who will finish as the biggest party in Andhra - the TDP-BJP combine or the YSRCP but there is unanimous agreement on the fact that the JSP is not a challenger at all. In fact, many feel that in spite of resigning from the Congress and floating a new outfit, Reddy is still believed by many to be ineffective in adverting the division of the state. If the former CM does as badly as expected, it will be interesting to see what his next move will be. Will he join either YSRCP or the TDP? May be, he may walk back into the Congress.

Other posts in this series:
(1) Karnataka & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(2) Rajasthan & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(3) Maharashtra & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(4) Goa & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(5) Kerala & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(6) Assam & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(7) Tripura & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(8) Haryana & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(9) Chhattisgarh & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(10) Jammu Kashmir & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(11) Madhya Pradesh & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(12) Telangana & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(13) Bihar & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(14) Jharkhand & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(15) Sikkim & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(16) Arunachal Pradesh & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(17) Nagaland & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(18) Manipur & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(19) Meghalaya & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(20) Mizoram & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(21) Delhi & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(22) Gujarat & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(23) Himachal Pradesh & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(24) Uttarakhand & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(25) Bengal & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(26) Odisha & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(27) Tamil Nadu & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(28) Punjab & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(29) Uttar Pradesh & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)

BJP AHEAD OF THE CONGRESS...

IN THE RACE FOR ALLIES

Courtesy: IBN Live/Reuters

When the BJP decided to take a gamble by appointing Narendra Modi, first as the chief of its campaign for the Lok Sabha polls and then as its nominee for the post of the Prime Minister, many thought it would never get any allies and would thus warm the Opposition benches for another five years in the Parliament. After all, in this era of coalition politics where no party can think of crossing the half way mark on its own, it is but imperative to have powerful regional satraps on one's side. In fact, in one of the articles that I had written post Modi's anointment (Link), I had mentioned that the stigma of the 2002 Gujarat riots could keep several powerful regional players away from doing any kind of business with the NDA. With Nitish Kumar's JD(U) walking out of the BJP led coalition, it seemed that the saffron outfit was fighting a battle that it was destined to lose. Six months down the line, things have changed. Of course, I need to admit that I was wrong in thinking that a NDA headed by Modi would ever grow beyond three or four parties.

While Nitish Kumar and certain segments within the BJP including the party patriarch Lal Krishna Advani may have been against his appointment, the Gujarat Chief Minister must be given credit for galvanizing a party that seemed to be heading towards doom. Considering his strong Hindutva image, he helped consolidate the party's core vote bank. Next, with a strong leader at the helm of affairs, the war of succession amongst the BJP's second generation leaders too has been brushed aside at the moment. The differences have been dissolved, at least for the time being, and the party has stood solidly behind its PM nominee. Meanwhile, at rally after rally in different parts of the country, the Gujarat leader has spoken about his development agenda. This has helped him connect with the masses who have been disillusioned with the UPA. His poll managers have also done a great job on the social media, boosting his popularity amongst the youth. In the last few months while the BJP has moved from strength to strength, the Congress has constantly been under fire with so many scams being unearthed in recent months. Many allies have marched out of the UPA and several more prospective partners have refused to enter into any sort of agreement with the INC, fearing the massive anti-incumbency against the regime in New Delhi. Finally, after a thumping victory in the December 2013 polls held in four states, it is evident that the BJP is in the driving seat and everyone wants to be a part of the NDA bandwagon.

Of course, one cannot overlook the role of party president Rajnath Singh in 'resurrecting' the NDA. Taking over from Nitin Gadkari after his name figured in the alleged wrong doings regarding investments in his Purti Group, he was instrumental in the elevation of Narendra Modi in spite of strong opposition from Advani and a bitter divorce with the JD(U). As the Gujarat CM toured the nation, talking about his 'vision' for the country, Singh worked behind the scenes to stitch together a mega formation to take on a weak UPA. The first part of the strategy was to bring back those leaders who had walked out of the BJP earlier. Soon, former CMs B S Yeddyurappa and Kalyan Singh were back into the party fold (Link). Keshubahi's GPP too is expected to merge into the BJP soon. Next, Singh went on allying with several smaller partners. The saffron outfit built up solid alliances in states like Maharashtra and Bihar. In Tamil Nadu, where the party has minimal presence, it brought together many Dravidian parties while the Congress seems to be fighting the polls all alone. To go beyond its traditional support base, it has also joined hands with Dalit parties including Paswan's LJP.

Though there is no doubt that the NDA is emerging as the foremost coalition ahead of the 2014 General Elections, it is clear that it will still need many more partners if it has to form the next government at the Centre. In fact, many parties have started sending feelers to the BJP. Raj Thackeray of the MNS has made it clear that he will support Modi for the PM's post. AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha is believed to be close to the Gujarat CM whereas Karunanidhi has also referred to him as a 'good friend'. A lot can be read into NCP chief Sharad Pawar's clean chit to BJP PM candidate. Even Jagan Reddy of the YSR Congress has called him a 'good administrator'. Naidu's TDP is an old ally and is speculated to join back the NDA anywhere soon. The AGP too is a prospective partner; its absence from the meeting of the Third Front leaders does say a lot. And finally, the big catch - the BJD and the BJP too may kiss and make-up.

TELANGANA & LOK SABHA 2014

WHO GAINS AND WHO LOSES OUT IN TELANGANA?

K Chandrashekar Rao on fast-unto-death for Telangana in December 2009

It does not matter if you like it or not. The reality is that after both houses passed the Andhra Pradesh Re-organization Bill, Telangana is all set to become the 29^th state of the Indian Union. A struggle that began about seven decades ago and which was further strengthened by years of neglect has finally succeeded. In spite of protests in Seemandhra and the ruckus inside the Parliament, the government and the Opposition came together in a move dubbed by detractors as 'match-fixing' to allow the contentious bill to pass through. Though Hyderabad is to be the joint capital for the next ten years, the metropolis which is considered to be the pride of the Telugu people and is the bone of contention between the two sides will cease to exist within the territorial extent of Andhra. With the elections both at the Center and in the states, namely Andhra and Telangana due in the next two months, this move will have a direct impact on how the masses vote. Here is a look at the various political parties and how their fortunes will be affected with the division of southern India's largest state. Also with this post, I am starting a new series on the blog where I will analyze each state with respect to the Lok Sabha polls of 2014.

ISSUES

(1) Statehood for Telangana: No prizes for guessing this. The creation of Telangana is of course going to be the sole issue this election season in this part of the country, that is if there are no drastic developments in the run up to the polls. The people of this region have demanded a separate state for decades, citing step-motherly treatment meted out by the rest of Andhra. While Hyderabad, located deep in the heart of this area is one of the most developed cities in the country, the rest of the yet to be born state has lagged far behind. The statehood for Telangana has been a crucial poll subject for long, except for the time when Y S Rajshekar Reddy was the Chief Minister. Considering that hundreds of people have lost their lives over this rather emotional topic, it is going to dominate the political situation here for months, if not years. The challenge for the next government, both in New Delhi and in Hyderabad will be to implement development schemes so as to nurture the state in its early days. 

(2) The TRS-Congress pact: Another key issue which could decide the outcome will be the proposed TRS-Congress merger/pre-poll alliance. Rao's outfit has been at the forefront of the agitation for the past decade whereas the Congress' role in passing of the bill has been appreciated by the people on the ground. As such, if they join hands, they are expected to sweep an overwhelming majority of the seventeen seats from here. The Congress wants Rao's outfit to merge with it, whereas the latter does not want to commit, preferring to keep his options open.

CONTENDERS

(1) Telangana Rashtriya Samiti: The TRS formed by K Chandrashekar Rao in 2004 after he parted ways with Chandrababu Naidu to fight for Telangana statehood is expected to gain heavily from this development. Though it fared badly in the 2009 General elections, KCR's 'fast-unto-death' later that year brought the attention of the entire nation to this issue. The UPA II government buckled under pressure and announced the initiation of the process to bifurcate Andhra, something that it would repent later. There is no doubt that today, KCR is the biggest political leader in the new state. The big question however, is whether he should merge his outfit into the Congress or become a partner in the UPA. It is believed that there was an understanding between the INC and TRS that the latter would merge into the former as and when Telangana is formed. While the Congress has kept its promise, Rao is hesitant to keep his word on the merger. Though it is sure that such an alliance will for sure sweep the newly carved state, KCR's knows that in all likelihood, the UPA will not win a third state term. Moreover, if the NDA crosses the 200 mark and needs allies to stake a claim to form the next government, the TRS could join it (like it did in 2009) and bargain heavily for a special economic package for the state of Telangana. Remember, the BJP's support was crucial in passing the Bill in both Houses of the Parliament.

(2) Congress: In several parts of the soon to be created state, Sonia Gandhi is being referred to as the 'Mother of Telangana' as she has ensured that the UPA kept the promise it had made in 2004, even if the announcement came months prior to the General elections. The grand old party has indeed taken a huge gamble. By giving Telangana it has ruled itself out of the race in 25 seats in Andhra, the state that sent the maximum number of Congress MPs in the last two Lok Sabhas. To be frank, the party did not have a choice. Jaganmohan Reddy has virtually wiped it out of the Rayalseema and Seemanadhra regions whereas the TDP too is expected to improve its performance. The challenge before the Congress is to ensure that the TRS mergers into it. Sadly for it, KCR is a shrewd politician. If he decides to retain his outfit's independence, there is a threat that he may join hands with the BJP led NDA in the future. That would be a disaster and will allow the saffron outfit to make a strong mark in Telangana besides helping it clinch the advantage in the race to 272 in the post poll scenario. Considering the high stakes, one can expect the Congress to lobby hard in the next few days to make sure that Rao fights under its colors.

(3) All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen: In my opinion after the TRS and the Congress, the third party which will be affected by the creation of the new state is the AIMIM. The party has been representing the Hyderabad seat in the Lok Sabha since 1984 largely due to its loyal Muslim vote bank. However, post the recent developments, the two time MP and party president Asaduddin Owaisi may be feeling a bit jittery. In case the Telangana sentiments are high, the voters may rise above communal lines and may end up overlooking the AIMIM. However, Modi's nomination for the post of the Prime Minister by the NDA will be one issue which Owaisi may raise to whip up religious sentiments and consolidate the minority votes.

(4) BJP: The saffron party's situation in southern India continues to be pathetic, more so after its rout in Karnataka assembly polls. However, in a bid to give itself a better chance at least in Telangana, the party backed the bill introduced by the Congress in the Parliament, hoping to create some momentum in its favor. Like Sonia Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj too has won the good will of the people from this part of the country. Giving her a ticket from her will be a bold move and may well pay off. At least, she should figure prominently in the BJP's election campaign here. On the issue of the merger of the TRS into the Congress, the party will be keeping its fingers crossed. Also, in case the deal fails, the party will look at Rao as a potential ally in the future and may lure him with a special economic package for the new state.

The Telugu Desum Party (TDP) and the YSR Congress are expected to draw a blank here in case they contest as they batted for the 'United Andhra' movement. The Communist and other constituents of the Third Front too do not have any substantial presence here which means they too will not open their accounts.

PAST RESULTS

Here is a look at how the 17 seats that will form a part of Telangana have voted in the last five Lok Sabha polls. Please note that during these elections, the region was still a part of Andhra Pradesh. Also, over the years, the delimitation exercise has made it difficult to get accurate results in all constituencies. In 1996, the Congress held a slight upper hand in the region whereas in the next election it was the TDP that did well. The allies in the NDA i.e. Telugu Desum and the BJP swept the region in spite of the fact that they did not have a pre-poll arrangement. YSR's campaigning and the alliance with the TRS helped the UPA do well across Andhra in 2004 and Telangana was no exception. The superlative performance in the state catapulted the Congress beyond 150 and helped them to a surprise victory at the Center. In 2009, in spite of the break-up with KCR, the Congress led by Rajashekar Reddy routed all Opposition in the state. A hallmark of this victory was that KCR's outfit was reduced to a paltry number of two even as the Congress went past 200, again with Andhra contributing the maximum number of MPs to UPA II.

No.	Constituency	2009	2004	1999	1998	1996
01	Adilabad	TDP	TRS	TDP	TDP	TDP
02	Peddapalli	INC	INC	TDP	TDP	INC
03	Karimnagar	INC	TRS	BJP	BJP	INC
04	Nizamabad	INC	INC	TDP	TDP	INC
05	Zahirabad	INC	-	-	-	-
06	Medak	TRS	TRS	BJP	INC	INC
07	Malkajgiri	INC	-	-	-	-
08	Secunderabad	INC	INC	BJP	BJP	INC
09	Hyderabad	AIMIM	AIMIM	AIMIM	AIMIM	AIMIM
10	Chevella	INC	-	-	-	-
11	Mahabubnagar	TRS	INC	BJP	JD	INC
12	Nagarkurnool	INC	TDP	TDP	INC	TDP
13	Nalgonda	INC	CPI	TDP	CPI	CPI
14	Bhongir	INC	-	-	-	-
15	Warangal	INC	TRS	TDP	TDP	TDP
16	Mahabubabad	INC	-	-	-	-
17	Khamman	TDP	INC	INC	INC	CPM

(1) Information on the results of the five constituencies - Zahirabad, Malkajgiri, Chevella, Bhongir and Mahabubabad are not availabale on the Internet.

(2) CPI: Communist Party of India
CPM: Communist Party of India (Marxist)
JD: Janata Dal

MY PREDICTIONS

I am sticking my neck out to make some predictions ahead of the General Elections. Of course, the point to note here is that I have not taken the INC-TRS merger or pre-poll alliance into account since it has not been announced as yet. As mentioned earlier, Chandrashekar Rao and the TRS may well take about half of the seats from the new state whereas the Congress too may do well. I expect the BJP to end its drought here and the AIMIM to retain its stronghold of Hyderabad. Note, I have just relied on my understanding and my gut feeling to come to these numbers.

	Political Party	Expected Seats
1	Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS)	6-10
2	Congress (INC)	4-8
3	Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)	0-2
4	All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)	0-1
5	Others (YSR Congress/TDP/CPI/CPM)	0-1

WATCH OUT

(1) Rise of the Rao Dynasty: It will be interesting to see whether Chandrashekar Rao contests a Lok Sabha seat or prefers to fight the elections to the state assembly, hoping to become the first CM of the state for which he went without food for over 10 days. In that case, it is pretty likely that his son K T Rama Rao, the MLA from Sircilla may lead the party in the Parliament. His daughter, K Kavita who had courted arrest several times during the T agitations is likely to jump into the electoral fray this year. His nephew Harish is the MLA from Siddipet. Though there are various speculations over the future of the TRS, what is clear is that the Raos are set to become the first family of Telangana. 

(2) The future of the TRS: Will he or won't he merge into the Congress? This is the question that is dominating all political discussions in the region. It is believed that most of the leaders in the TRS are against merging the party into the Congress. Even KCR would like to retain his party's identity, aware that he will be made to dance to the High Command's tune in case he joins the INC. Besides, staying independent leaves the option of allying with the NDA in the future open. Considering that his party does not have strong presence in most parts of the soon to be formed state, Rao knows that he may need the help of the grand old party to form a government in Hyderabad. Resisting the Congress in such a situation will be extremely difficult. On the other hand, merging into the Congress may lead to a vertical split int the outfit, with many leaders opting out.

(3) The future of the BJP in Telangana: Much like the Congress, the BJP took a gamble by supporting the T Bill in the Parliament. While the Congress was looking at and may even get some immediate gains in 2014, for the the saffron outfit, it is a long term investment. By lending its support to the creation of the new state, the party has given itself a strong platform which it can use to garner votes. Though the it may not win even a single seat here in this General Elections, do not be surprised if it does open its account in the new legislative assembly. Secondly, the BJP will be closely watching the developments regarding the merger of the TRS into the Congress. If the merger happens, many in the TRS may jump the boat and the only viable option for them will be the BJP. In case, the deal falls through, Modi may woo Rao with a multi-crore package for Telangana.

Other posts in this series:
(1) Karnataka & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(2) Rajasthan & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(3) Maharashtra & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(4) Goa & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(5) Kerala & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(6) Assam & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(7) Tripura & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(8) Haryana & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(9) Chhattisgarh & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(10) Jammu Kashmir & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(11) Madhya Pradesh & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(12) Bihar & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(13) Jharkhand & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(14) Sikkim & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(15) Arunachal Pradesh & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(16) Nagaland & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(17) Manipur & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(18) Meghalaya & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(19) Mizoram & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(20) Delhi & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(21) Uttarakhand & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(22) Himachal Pradesh & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(23) Gujarat & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(24) Punjab & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(25) Bengal & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(26) Odisha & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(27) Tamil Nadu & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(28) Andhra & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)
(29) Uttar Pradesh & Lok Sabha 2014 (Link)