Confident KCR snubs BJP's alliance offer

NEW DELHI: K Chandrashekar Rao's Telangana Rashtra Samithi snubbed an alliance offer from the BJP on Sunday. Two days after most exit polls predicted that the TRS would get a second term in power with a healthy majority, the state BJP said it was ready to ally with "anyone except the Congress or (Asaduddin Owaisi's party) AIMIM". The pre-condition leaves out only the TRS, whose chief considers Owaisi's party a "friendly" one.

Out of 11 exit polls, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi has been given outright majority by five. An aggregate of the exit polls shows the party will win 67 seats in the 119-member assembly - well above the majority mark of 60.

The aggregate also indicates that the BJP will get five seats. "If the public did not vote us to power, then a discussion will be held on allying with the other political parties except the Congress and AIMIM," state BJP chief K Laxman was quoted as saying by a news agency.

Asserting that the BJP is keeping its options open, Laxman added, "We will be in power".

Bhanu Prasad, a spokesperson of Telangana Rashtra Samithi, said they don't need any alliance and that they would form the government in the state on their own.

Rao had turned the BJP down earlier when the party reached out to his leaders. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi will remain a secular party, reiterated Rao, who is batting for a non-BJP, non-Congress Third Front for next year's general elections.

The Congress, which, for the first time, tied up with long-time rival Chandrababu Naidu, is projected to get only 39 of the state's 119 seats, way below the majority mark of 60, the poll of exit polls predicted.