Andhra: TDP, TRS put up brave fronts in anticipation of 16 May

The brouhaha of electioneering and the elections has ended, but the buzz of boasting about their prospects of bulldozing by political parties, and betting by punters has begun blooming. Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu claimed on 7 May, the day the election in Seemaandhra ended, that he was 1,000 percent sure of his party’s victory in the elections. He reiterated the next day that he was 10,000 percent sure of victory and claimed 120-130 seats in the Assembly out of 175 and 20-22 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats. [caption id=“attachment_1517823” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  K Chandrasekar Rao (L), Jagan Mohan Reddy (C) and N Chandrababu Naidu (R). Agencies.[/caption] YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy, who told national media that all his options over alliances were open, came in front of TV cameras minutes after the election and claimed that it would be a clean sweep for his party. He also claimed that his party would play a key role in choosing the next Prime Minister of India. Though it is natural for any political party to showcase its confidence soon after the elections, surely one of them is putting up a brave front. However that will be revealed on 16 May, when the votes are counted. Chandrababu Naidu hosted a thank you lunch for Actor Pawan Kalyan on Thursday for adding glamour to the TDP’s poll campaign. The TDP supremo is off to United States of America for a very short trip along with his wife, son and daughter-in-law. He told reporters that he was invited by his relatives and well-wishers to visit them, and it was difficult to go holidaying within India considering security reasons. Jagan will be going to the hill station Dehradun for his sojourn. He returned from Pulivendula, his native constituency to Hyderabad. If elected, Chandrababu Naidu would have the swearing-in ceremony in Seemaandhra. He had announced this at several of his public meetings. Similarly, YSR Congress sources too say that Jagan, if elected, may be sworn in at Idupulapaya, the agricultural farm of the YSR family. The stark difference between the two leaders who have set their eyes on the Chief Ministership of Seemaandhra region is that Naidu has not relented from reiterating the corruption charges against Jagan even after the elections, while the latter has not attacked his bête noire. Jagan had, of course, talked about Eenadu group targeting him. There may or may not be much content to read between the lines in these expressions, but surely both are not devoid of the essential worry of keeping their flock with them, in case of an eventuality – poll debacle. The TDP lost a majority of its leaders to the Telangna Rashtra Samithi before the elections, but allowed large-scale migrations into it from the Congress. The TDP supremo spared no effort to woo almost every section of society. Waiver of farm loans, DWCRA loans and building the State Capital akin to Singapore were important among the poll promises he made. He roped in Narendra Modi and Pawan Kalyan to campaign for the TDP. Naidu came up with a flash promise of appointing two Deputy Chief Ministers – one each from Kapu and BC social backgrounds – to lure the voters of those sections. In fact, he named a BC contestant as the Chief Minister candidate for Telangana. YS Jagan, on the other hand, described the waiver of farm loans as a ‘tall promise’, but said he would waive DWCRA loans which amount to Rs 20,000 crore. He also promised building of 10 lakh houses for weaker sections, annually. Jagan presented a blue print for the development of a new capital city for the new State. While Chandrababu Naidu marshaled the strength of the media that is supportive of him, to launch a brazen vilification campaign against Jagan; the latter used his newspaper, Sakshi, and his TV channel to scorn Naidu. While it was a direct war for the TDP and its friendly media, it is a proxy war for Jagan to defend himself and also paint the others black. With the Congress almost getting decimated much before the commencement of elections, the war in Seemaandhra is almost straight. If the TDP doesn’t scale up to the portals of power, it will be a restricted to being the Opposition for the third consecutive term. Naturally, this will demoralize the leaders and cadre. Since Pawan Kalyan has already announced that he will build his Jana Sena for the 2019 elections, the dejected and disgruntled lot in the TDP may find an easy way out to join the actor’s outfit. The migratory leaders from the Congress may get back to the Grand Old Party (GOP) to rebuild it. In the event of the TDP making it to power, Pawan will be the biggest beneficiary. If NDA comes to power at the Centre and TDP doesn’t in the State, he would have a naturally created space available to him to launch his political outfit. Conversely, if the NDA fails to make it to power in Delhi and the TDP romps home in the State, he will have to play second fiddle to the TDP, as long as he can, at the risk of being ignored someday. If both the parties don’t make it to the portals of power, whether Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena plan would get shelved becomes conjecture too. If Jagan’s party doesn’t make it to power corridors, the ominous prison gates would stare at him. And, his die-hard fan base would disappear in the proverbial thin air. Most of them would get back to the Congress fold ‘repenting their folly’ of joining hands with a dud leader. If Jagan realizes his dream of getting enthroned, the residual Congress too will join him. Even some leaders from the TDP would be angling for a compromise slot in his party. Jagan may also extend a helping hand to any formation that is coming to power at the Centre. This move would help insulate himself from the slew of graft charges he is facing and also help garner huge funds for the development of the new State. The Congress, interestingly, is indulging in a mind game by ‘terrorising’ TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao with the veiled threat that it could scoop out legislators elected on the TRS ticket onto its side. With a view to preempting any such lurking danger, KCR wants the appointed day of bifurcation advanced so he can keep his flock united. As if to give a logical conclusion to the speculation, KCR announced on Friday evening that TRS in Telangana and YSRC in Seemaandhra would be winning with decisive margins. The TRS, however, would stay away from the NDA, but would be too willing to throw its weight behind Rahul Gandhi or a third front.