There has been a lot of activity in Hyderabad ever since state election commissioner V Nagireddy announced the poll schedule last week. GHMC Election, names of the probable candidates, chances of winning the elections, seat adjustment, defections, election expenditure etc are the talk of the town.
As all political parties are busily engaged in the campaign, every senior leader is spotted at one place of the other. T-IT minister and strategic leader of the TRS KT Ramarao attended ‘meet the press’ and participated in several public function Monday.
Irrigation minister Harish Rao is getting ready to go to Mumbai to his counterpart there. BJP leader Dattatreya has been spotted in the TDP-BJP seat sharing meeting and so were the TDP leaders such as TTDP president L Ramana, Kodangal MLA Revanth Reddy and floor leader E Dayakar Rao. Even TTDP budding strategist Nara Lokesh also went into huddle with TTDP leaders to discuss the GHMC Polls.
On other side Congress is going at full throttle both in Old City and New Hyderabad. All senior leaders including PCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy, Opposition leader in Council Shabbir Ali, PCC working president Mallu Bhatti, RS member V Hanumantha Rao are seen everywhere in the city.
In this hectic election-eve life only one person is conspicuous by his absence since Sunday. Guess who he is? He is none other than chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. His whereabouts are not known even to important party leaders.
His disappearance from radar is not without any significance. Whenever he disappears from public appearance, he is said to be engaged in the deep deliberations somewhere undisturbed. It means, party sources say, he would come out with some path-breaking decision. Whenever, he is makes himself unavailable even to cabinet ministers and confines himself to the farmhouse, it is not as if he is whiling away the time in the cool environs of his farm house. But, it means he is devising a master plan for the party or the government. Party sources point out to all the major decisions or rollbacks and say they are all announced either after a return from the farm house or from the farm house itself. Farm house, for KCR, is a place of political meditation or war room. According to party sources, KCR is formulating strategy for the GHMC elections for the past two days.
” KTR announced on Monday that he would resign from the cabinet if the party doesn’t win. He said same thing before Warangal byelection. It was he who announced that Warangal Lok Sabha bypoll was referendum on KCR government. Now also, KTR might have given green signal to KTR to announce the victory of the part, to influence the voters psychologically. KTR must have been convinced by the strategy his father evolving for GHMC elections,” a senior TRS leader told telugu360.com.
” Though there is an undeclared understanding between TRS and MIM. KCR is a such a person, who doesn’t allow an opposition party grow stronger at the cost of TRS. While maintaining cordiality with MIM, he would ensure that TRS wins absolute majority and keep friendly MIM at bay,” the sources said.
The party is fielding candidates in all 150 divisions. The idea behind this decision is to reach the 100 magic figure that would give full authority to TRS relegating the MIM to backseat.
” See this is exactly what happened in Maharashtra. Once a minor partner, the BJP had emerged number one party and kept the leading party Siva Sena at bay. Today Siva Sena is seen only in statements. MIM will get reduced to that level soon,” sources said.
According to sources, KCR will surface from underground with a strategy that would ‘confuse and convince’ the Seemandhra voters in favor of TRS and disarm the Opposition parties lock, stock and barrel.
” The election is hinging on Seemandhra voters. While BJP and Congress want some Seemandhra polarisation in Hyderabad and exploit the sense of insecurity thus generated among these people to win the election. But, TRS on the other hand, having successfully removed the sting in TDP, is trying to ingratiate itself with Seemandhras. KCR will create an impression among this community that, “enough is enough, we have to live in Hyderabad. Let us make peace with TRS”.” the sources said.
Once KCR surfaces, the party sources believe, first list of the candidate would be out and there would be a qualitative difference in the campaign theme of the TRS tilting towards Seemandhras.
