Telangana election results: It's a pro-KCR, pro-Telangana and anti-Naidu mandate!

HYDERABAD: The charm of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has ensured a pink wave in Telangana Legislative Assembly polls where the TRS party crushed Congress-led Mahakutami showing dominance across ‘Bangaru’ (golden) Telangana be it north or south, rural or urban.


Telangana Rashtra Samithi won 86 seats in Telangana, which was much more than 63 seats in 2014 polls the year in which the 29th State was formed. While dissolving the legislative assembly prematurely eight months ahead on September 6, KCR said he was the 'nenu Mogodu' (He-man) and as the results are out, he trounced all his multiple opponents who fought the political battle united against him.


Explore how Telangana voted with constituency details along with electoral map


What could be an affirmative vote to KCR, due to welfare schemes and freebies such as Rythu Bandhu, 24-hour power supply, Mission Bhagiratha with a moderate majority to come back to power has turned into an overwhelming victory because of alliance with N Chandrababu Naidu led Telugudesam party that triggered a Telangana sentiment.


Voters rejected the Congress party despite social engineering of castes, knitting alliance with multiple parties, appeal by Sonai Gandhi who ‘gave’ Telangana, an intensive campaign by Rahul Gandhi and other Kutami leaders like N Chandrababu Naidu about KCR’s inaccessibility, family rule and alleged corruption. TRS Chief KCR won Gajewel and his family members T Harish Rao won with a record majority of more than 1.2 lakh in

Siddipet

, and KCR’s son KT Rama Rao won in Sircilla. While Congress votes and seats remained almost the same as 2014, the biggest losers are TDP and BJP in the elections.

The results declared on Tuesday after counting in 119 Assembly constituencies Congress-led Mahakutami got restricted to 22 seats whereas the magic figure is 60. Congress won 20 seats and TDP 2 seats and other alliance partners CPI, Prof. Kodandaram led Telangana Jana Samithi are nullified. Congress had won 21 seats in 2014 and TDP had 15 seats. Senior Congress leaders including self-proclaimed Chief Ministerial candidates A Revanth Reddy, D K Aruna, Jeevan Reddy, K Jana Reddy faced the wrath of the voters. The results have come to a shocker to Bharatiya Janata Party too which was restricted to only one seat with the hardcore Hindutva leader Raja Singh the only MLA who could make it to the Telangana Assembly. Despite a campaign by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and party president Amit Shah the State president K Lakshman and party senior leaders Kishan Reddy and others faced a defeat.

All India Majilist Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) maintained their seat tally as 7, which is same as 2014 polls.

TDP has been wiped out even from Greater Hyderabad where migrant voters also voted for TRS. TDP could win only two seats.

Despite TRS coming back to power in Telangana, four Ministers including Tummala Nageswara Rao, Jupally Nageswar Rao, Chandulal and Putnam Mahendra Reddy and Speaker Madhusudhana Chary lost the elections where Congress candidates won.

Former MLC and political analyst Prof K Nageshwar told TOI, "Positive vote for KCR overwhelmed the limited, sporadic discontent. Added to this AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s intense campaign has triggered the Telangana sentiment. TRS could provide successful fuel with the sentiment. The hardcore Telangana voter who got alienated in the past four and half years returned to TRS fold due to Naidu’s factory. Consolidation of core Telangana vote helped thumping majority."

Despite there are intelligence reports and pressure from the party leaders that around 30 MLA candidates are weak KCR didn’t change the candidates. KCR was the only star campaigner for the party.

TRS MP and KCR’s daughter Kalvakunta Kavita after the victory said, "It is true that KCR is a candidate in all constituencies. He is the face of the party. KCR’s hard work and development works brought the party back into the power."

Political analyst M E V Prasad Reddy told TOI, "KCR could strike a chord in rural areas with Rythubandhu. Sheep distribution. Long neglected villages were taken care of the schemes like Mission Kakatiya, Mission Bhagiratha. Congress party got disconnected with the people due to an ageing leadership. Tying up with Naidu is a big blunder for Congress. Both Naidu and Lagadapati Rajagopal who announced in a survey that Kutami would win are seen as irritants by the Telagnanites. They projected themselves more in the campaign than the Congress leader. People of Telangana didn’t like it.”