Telangana Election Results: How Yogi Adityanath, Amit shah's divisive speeches in state failed to dislodge KCR

Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s decision to dissolve the state Assembly and call for early elections appears to be to have paid rich dividends as his party the Telangana Rashtra Samithi is advancing towards a two-third majority in the 119-member Assembly. The BJP was leading in five constituencies, the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM in four seats and others in three, according to official figures at 11.45 am on Tuesday. The ruling TRS is way ahead of its rivals, taking an early lead in 92 of the 119 Assembly constituencies in Telangana on Tuesday. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah had boasted that a party with its support would come to power in Telangana. “Going by the way TRS governed the state during the last four-and-a-half years, I think it is unlikely to get public mandate again this time,” Shah was quoted as saying by The Economic Times. [caption id=“attachment_5128891” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Telangana caretaker chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao. PTI[/caption] The BJP had even deployed its star campaigner and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in the state where the party is trying to gain a foothold. During the poll campaign, both Shah and Aditynath delivered controversial statements in an attempt to polarise voters. However, as TRS is on course to return to power with a thumping majority in Telangana, it appears that BJP’s politics in the state has failed to dislodge Chandrashekar Rao. Yogi-Shah’s hardline rhetoric  Adityanath in an election rally at Tandur, Vikarabad in Telangana, had said that if BJP comes to power in the state. “Owaisi will have to flee from Telangana the same way as Nizam was forced to flee from Hyderabad. BJP will give security to all but will not allow anyone to create anarchy.” AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi reacted sharply to Adityanath’s remarks and accused the Uttar Pradesh chief minister of trying to spread hatred. Addressing an election rally in Sangareddy in early December, Adityanath had accused the Congress of obstructing the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and charged the Rahul Gandhi-led party and TRS with indulging in Muslim appeasement. Congress and TRS are “playing with” the interests of people in Telangana and once more they would make efforts to take the state towards “Nizamshahi”, he had alleged. He sought to know if TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao fulfilled the promise of giving three-acre land to Dalits and providing drinking water for every household. In November, Shah said that BJP would not allow Telangana government to implement 12 percent reservation for minorities. Addressing an election rally in Warangal district, he said the BJP would neither provide quota on the basis of religion nor allow its implementation by others. While speaking at an election rally in Narayanpet, he had said both the TRS and the Congress believed in the “appeasement” of minorities. He also claimed that the Congress, in its manifesto for the polls, had promised “free electricity” to mosques and churches but not to temples. With inputs from agencies