Hyderabad: Millions of people in Andhra Pradesh are voting on Wednesday to elect the maiden government of Telangana that will come into being on June 2. Nearly 3 crore voters will choose from 1,669 candidates in 119 assembly states in the Telangana region. Voting is also taking place for 17 parliamentary seats.
An impressive win for Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) led by K Chandrasekhar Rao, who stole the thunder from Congress for the creation of the 29th state, is expected. Congress which staked everything for Telangana, may be the biggest loser.
It is noteworthy that Congress president Sonia Gandhi accused Rao of cheating her party and playing opportunistic politics. KCR is running for Parliament from Medak and also contesting the assembly polls from Gajwel.
Telugu Desam Party of N Chandrababu Naidu and BJP firmed up an alliance after days of negotiations, overriding protests from local leaders. It is seen as a masterstroke that is expected to bring the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance big returns in Seemandhra, the regions that will form residuary Andhra Pradesh.
In Telangana too, TDP hopes to fare well. Film star Pawan Kalyan’s new Jana Sena Party is not in the contest but his support is seen as a big plus for the TDP-BJP alliance.
However, YSR Congress of Jagan Reddy, which has fielded candidates in more than 100 assembly constituencies in Telangana, is unlikely to do well after its strong opposition to bifurcation.
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