With this, the ruling BJP led NDA at the Centre can hope to sweep both the Telugu states—Telangana and Andhra Pradesh—in the presidential elections. In Andhra Pradesh, as both ruling TDP and sole opposition party, YSR Congress have decided to back the BJP, all the votes will be go to the NDA nominee.
The opposition camp can only hope to get the votes of Congress’ one Lok Sabha MP and 15 MLAs and MIM’s one MP and seven MLAs.
This is a major achievement for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose personal equations with KCR and YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, both of whom are not part of the NDA, have tilted the scales in favour of the BJP in the crucial presidential elections.
KCR’s decision to back the BJP has surprised many as it came within hours after BJP president Amit Shah wrapped up his three-day political tour of Telangana on Thursday night. Shah had attacked the TRS government in Telangana, saying that the CM had failed to properly spend the around Rs 1 lakh crore funds given by the Centre.
Shah, whose eyes are set on increasing the BJP’s fortunes in Telangana, also attacked KCR for foisting “family rule” and vowed to oppose his recent decision to give 12% reservations to Muslims.
KCR retaliated strongly by saying that the state had got only around Rs 22,000 crore Central funds. KCR pointed out that Telangana was one of the richest states in India which contributes to the overall revenues of the Central exchequer. KCR said he was ready to quit his post, if Shah proved his charges of misuse of funds.
But in a surprise move, KCR announced he would stand by the BJP in the presidential elections. He not only conveyed his decision to the key aides of the PM in New Delhi, but also informed the same to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan by calling on him at the Raj Bhawan on Thursday night.
KCR has been dropping hints that he would not be a part of the Congress led opposition camp in the presidential elections. He had not entertained invitation from Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s office for consultations on the presidential elections sometime back. KCR also stayed away from the opposition’s dinner meeting at Sonia Gandhi’s residence on Friday.
Sources close to the CM told The Sunday Guardian that the decision to keep away from the Congress led opposition camp was a calibrated move, not a sudden one.
“We have been on the same page with the BJP on several key issues including the recent GST Bill and demonetisation,” said a corporation chairman preferring anonymity.
KCR once again praised the PM for running a corruption-free government in the last three years and claimed that he too was providing a corruption free administration in Telangana. Seniors in TRS are of the view that KCR’s stand to be with the PM on almost all major issues, while fighting the BJP locally, was a well thought out move. KCR is not ready to go for an open alliance with the BJP in the coming elections as he considers Congress as his main rival in Telangana. If he joins hands with the BJP, the Muslim vote, which is estimated to be around 11%, would go to the Congress. Moreover, BJP, with a weak state level leadership, is not in a position to take on the TRS, which is strongly entrenched in all the state’s 31 districts.
Any open alliance between the TRS and the BJP would lead to demands for more seats from the saffron brigade, sources close to the CM said. In spite of its best efforts, the BJP’s state level leaders couldn’t attract any seniors from the TRS, Congress or the TDP. When asked about possible defections from TRS to the BJP, KCR termed it as the “joke of the millennium”.