2019: Battle lines drawn in T, picture hazy in AP

HYDERABAD: The next elections may still be two years away, but in unusual and swift political developments in the two Telugu states in the last few days, the electoral battle lines are getting drawn in Telangana while the picture is getting hazy in AP.
BJP national president Amit Shah's visit to Nalgonda this week during which he criticised the TRS government, and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's strong response to that has virtually ensured that the two parties take on each other in the 2019 elections.
"There is no question of any alliance between the two parties in Telangana. The TRS will maintain cordial relations with the centre as both of us need each other, but when it comes to Telangana, we want to consolidate our hold. With the Congress having been wiped out and the TDP virtually non-existent, we can see that the BJP is the only party that wants to occupy the space of the leading opposition party in Telangana by improving its performance in the next pols. That would make it our natural adversary," said a TRS leader on condition of anonymity.
On its part, sources in the Telangana BJP too said the party might immediately mend fences with the TRS in view of the Presidential elections but when it comes to the assembly elections in Telangana, there was no prospect of an alliance between the two. "Telangana chief minister KCR might have threatened not to support the NDA Presidential candidate. But we are confident that he will eventually come around to the NDA as it will not make any sense for the TRS to support the Congress-led opposition candidate," said the sources.
In contrast, in Andhra Pradesh, what was a clear picture is all of a sudden becoming fuzzy. In recent developments, while Naidu was away abroad, the NDA government saw it an opportune moment to give YSR Congress president an audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting let credence to speculation that the BJP might be looking at dumping Naidu in the next polls and forge an alliance with Jagan.
And in the midst of some TDP MPs publicly recommending that the TDP should not go with the BJP in 2019, Naidu's remarks at the Telangana Mahanadu in Hyderabad on Wednesday assumes significance.
By clearly saying that the TDP will decide on alliances in both Telangana and AP only before the polls, the AP CM was sending a clear message to the BJP, that do not take their alliance for granted. As a result, it is not clear as yet as to how things will pan out in AP in the context of electoral alliances.
in AP, what was a clear picture is all of a sudden becoming fuzzy. In recent developments, while Naidu was away abroad, the NDA government saw it an opportune moment to give YSR Congress president an audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting let credence to speculation that the BJP might be looking at dumping Naidu in the next polls and forge an alliance with Jagan