Sensing 'advantage', KCR mulls early T'gana polls

NEW DELHI: Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has sought the opinion of his party's MLAs and MPs on an early dissolution of the state Assembly and fresh election in the state, along with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh later this year.

A party source told Millennium Post that, "The final decision would be taken in a week." Meanwhile, the TRS leadership views this as an opportune moment to cash in on the lack of preparedness of the Congress and its seeming disconnect with Opposition parties, ahead of the general election. "Congress is our main opposition. Even during the recent deputy chairman election in Rajya Sabha, Congress did not communicate, whereas JD-U sought our support," senior TRS leader Bhushan Prasad mentioned.

He also added, "Our CM and the party high-command want to focus more on the Lok Sabha election, being a part of the non-NDA 'Federal Front'."

Political observers also feel that Telangana chief minister KCR wants to go for elections while the farmers are kindly predisposed, after a good rainfall, as the agrarian sector has been under pressure since he came to power. KCR has undertaken some path-breaking steps to transform the eco-system for agriculture, with irrigation schemes, drinking water schemes, distribution of sheep, loan waiver and the pioneering Rythu Bandhu, where the state-sanctioned Rs 4,000 per acre to every farmer as an investment to reduce the loans burden.

Another possible reason could be that KCR does not want to get trapped in both BJP and Congress' effort to polarise the 12.7 per cent of the Muslim population in the state. The ruling party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) also has a partnership with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

However, during his last meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rao extended his support for 'One Nation, One Election'.

The state is scheduled to go for Assembly polls in April 2019.