Presidential Poll 2022: Has TRS lost golden opportunity?

• Missed a chance to make believe it’s alternate to BJP and Congress
• Is this political gamble or blunder?

Hyderabad: “Our Party, TRS, maintains equidistance from both BJP and Congress and this is the reason we are not attending opposition parties meeting conveyed by West Bengal CM Mamata as the platform is shared by Congress,” are the words said by TRS bigwigs few days ago. On Monday, TRS party Working President, IT Minister K. Taraka Rama Rao stood in a line along with Rahul Gandhi while Yashwanth Sinha filed nomination as Opposition Parties Presidential candidate. TRS leaders said many reasons for the support, but no one knows, why there is deviation from its policy and supporting candidate who was choice of its main rival in the state, Congress.

Telangana Chief Minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), moved with a plan of floating a third front in the name of Federal with regional parties excluding the Congress against the BJP. He met several leaders like Uddahav Thackery (now in doldrums), Sharad Pawar, Aravind Kejriwal, Farooq Abdullah, Deve Gowda, Mamata Banerjee, M.K .Stalin, Akshilesh Yadav and so on. It was an initiate for the third front. You will hear sensational news in two or three months, countries that got freedom around same time (as India) have moved forward but we are in same stage. Lives of Dalits, farmers and Adivasis have not changed, time has come for a change and needs to rise beyond ‘isms’ and ‘speeches’ , this is KCR’s last speech in the month of May addressing media after his  meeting with Kumarswamy of JD(s).

Fell in the trap or any other reason?

It is true that TRS party is facing anti incumbency in the State and facing problems within the party. TRS is getting hard hit by opposition parties BJP and Congress. TPCC Chief Revanth Reddy said that KCR abstaining from Mamata’s meet clearly shows that TRS has nexus with BJP. KCR was calling upon opposition parties to join hands to pull down NDA and Narendra Modi, if it is so, why did not he attend the meeting conveyed by Mamata, TRS is indirectly helping BJP, is the strong counter by congress in Telangana. Has TRS party fallen in the trap of congress to prove they are the real fighters opposed to the BJP or will TRS join hands with congress too post assembly elections, if there is a hung assembly in the State. These are the questions in minds of political observers.

 Missed political opportunity in state

TRS, at last supported Presidential candidate who is nominated unanimously by opposition parties including the Congress. The TRS which stated that it will maintain equidistance from both BJP and Congress would have opted for Draupadi Murmu for positive results in the State, felt a political strategists. Murmu Draupadi is from tribal and it is that fact that NDA proposed her name keeping in view of coming elections and tribal vote bank.

In Telangana, ST and SC vote bank is crucial for ruling party in the next assembly elections. Asifabad, Khanapur, Boath in old Adilabad, Wyra, Aswaraopet, Yellendu, Bhadrachalam, Pinapaka in erstwhile Khammam district, Mahabubabad, Mulugu in old Warangal district are said to be moving towards the Congress  and if TRS supported Murmu, by citing the reason (Tribal) , it should have won votes of Adivasis also, who are at present are opposed to the ruling party and looking towards BJP and congress as alternative. Thus the TRS  missed an opportunity, said a senior political strategist. Leave about Third Front at centre, we don’t know how many parties will join hands, first KCR should focus on state where party is in serious trouble, felt another political expert.

Right now, TRS party is stuck in political Juggernaut played by both BJP and Congress in the state.