Assembly Elections Results 2023: Why the Telangana win is precious for Congress

The Congress had hoped to win Madhya Pradesh and hold onto Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. However, it is currently trailing well behind the BJP in all three states. The only solace is India’s youngest state, Telangana, where the party is set to topple K Chandrasekhar Rao’s government, which has been in power for a decade. According to the latest trends, the BJP is winning 167 seats in Madhya Pradesh, against 62 of the Congress. In Rajasthan, the BJP crossed the halfway mark against the Congress’s 70. The BJP is ahead of the Congress in Chhattisgarh with 55 seats, against the Congress’s 34. In Telangana, however, the Congress won 67 seats against the BRS’ 36, the first time since its formation in 2014. The crucial victory The Congress has a reason to celebrate, despite appearing to be losing in three heartland states. Following its victory in Telangana, the 137-year-old party will be in power in three states – Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana. Though not a part of the state government, the party is an ally of the DMK in Tamil Nadu and a part of the ruling coalition in Bihar and Jharkhand. [caption id=“attachment_13460192” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, state chief Revanth Reddy and other leaders during a roadshow ahead of the Telangana Assembly elections, at Malkajgiri in Hyderabad. PTI[/caption] Since the party reclaimed a state after losing it to a regional player, a win in the southern state appears to be a historic win for party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi. In the modern history, the Congress has lost and never fully regained its political base to breakaway Congress groups and regional parties in Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and several other northeastern states, according to senior journalist Rasheed Kidwai. He added in his India Today article that securing a win in Telangana not only helps the party but strengthens its standing in the I.N.D.I.A coalition, in turn helping them to fight the BJP in the general elections of 2024. Notably, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh are the five southern states with 135 seats each. Thus, this victory remains crucial in order to boost its tally in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The factors that worked in favour The Congress seems have to benefit from KCR and his administration’s numerous accusations of corruption, unemployment issues, and poor project execution. Riding high on the anti-incumbency vibes in Telangana, the party even lashed out at KCR between July and November. According to Hindustan Times, the party appears to have secured majority of the votes in rural and semi-urban areas, which were historically dominated by KCR’s BRS. The voters seem to have responded well to its six key election promises as well. The promises are: Yuva Vikasam, which would help children from economically disadvantaged homes with their education; Indiramma, which would provide cheap housing for the impoverished; Rythu Bharosa, which would target farmers and agricultural workers; Mahalakshmi, which would focus on women’s welfare; and Cheyutha, which would provide health insurance and pensions. Voters seem to have responded well to these, which capitalised on the unhappiness of Dalits and Other Backward Classes. The national party also focused on Muslim minorities by prioritising their needs in “Minority Declaration.” It defeated the Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM. The Congress’s more devout members would also like that Rahul Gandhi and his Bharat Jodo Yatra receive all the glory for Telangana’s win. [caption id=“attachment_13460212” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Congress Telangana President A Revanth Reddy greets party workers and supporters celebrating the party’s lead during counting of votes for Telangana Assembly elections, in Hyderabad. PTI[/caption] The party’s resounding victory in Karnataka must have also injected much-needed hope in Telangana, as it rolled out several welfare schemes soon after it came to power. On the other hand, its major rival on the national level, the BJP also weakened when it replaced state unit head Bandi Sanjay, with G Kishan Reddy. This seems to have put the party on much weaker footing and destabilised it, giving the Congress the opportunity to capitalise on its status as the state’s main opposition party. The Congress also backed party chief A Revanth Reddy, who joined the party in 2017 and enjoys strong community support. The charismatic leader’s strategic planning seems to have done wonders for the party which is leading in 65 seats from 19 seats in 2018. In a rare occurrence, unlike Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the recent run-up also witnessed little infighting, even when it came to ticket distribution, as per Indian Express. The possible CM Taking to X after the Congress took the lead, Reddy said, “Kudos to the immortals who kept Telangana aspirations high in the sky… The time has come to fulfil the aspirations of the immortals and the aspirations of four crore people.” During his campaigning, there were times he was greeted with chants of “CM, CM.” But Reddy’s journey to become chief minister won’t be easy, since N Uttam Kumar Reddy, the previous head of the TPCC, is also vying for the position. When asked if he would become the CM if the party came to power, Reddy told NDTV, “There is a screening committee, a selection committee and then the CWC has to take a call. In Congress, there is a process for everything. Being the PCC president, I will have to obey every order from the high command.”