After a high-pitch electoral battle in Rajasthan, all eyes are now on Telangana, the last state to go to polls this year. Assembly election in the Deccan state is scheduled on November 30, and the K Chandrashekar Rao-led ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party is witnessing a neck-and-neck contest against the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Rao, better known as KCR, has been the chief minister of Telangana since its formation in 2014 when the state separated from Andhra Pradesh. After two roaring victories, he is now seeking a third term in office but facing corruption charges by the Enforcement Directorate.
Campaigning is going full throttle with powerhouses like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath, Congress senior leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, from the Opposition seeking to woo the voters in the final leg.
In the 2018 election, BRS won by a landslide majority, while Congress won 19 seats. The party hopes to make a stronger comeback this time to shake KCR’s hold in the state. The BJP won only one seat in the previous election. However, in 2020, the saffron party made inroads through the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections, winning 48 seats. It hopes to translate its civil poll success into a bigger triumph in the Assembly election.
The results of all five states that went to polls – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana – will be declared on December 3.
