The outcome of the by-polls in Andhra Pradesh brought some sort of relief and satisfaction to the Congress, which had been morally weaken facing defeat after defeat and protected its hegemony over the state seemed to be crumple in the wake of constant threatening by its allies TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti).
On the other hand, the defeat of the TRS in the key by-polls, which winning could set the path for the party to put forth its demand of separate Telangana state with high intensity, is a crystal clear message to all political parties and its leaders that people can not be made fool repeatedly.
The people's mandate on the referendum on the issue of separate Telangana state showed that people didn’t like to bear the burden of elections especially when the assembly elections in the state was due next year.
The over confidence of the TRS Chief K Chandrasekhara Rao, popularly known as KCR, who was taking the polls as a run-up to the 2009 and hoping to reap the reward by exploiting the sentiments of people on the separate state issue, eventually inflicted crushing defeat to his party as perhaps the party could not make the electorates more fool, or the Congress and the main opposition party, TDP successfully convinced the people they were not against a separate Telangana state.
The extra economic burden inflicted on the people of Telangana by the TRS was paid by the party by losing 10 out of 17 Assembly constituencies and two of the four Lok Sabha seats in Telangana.
Except TRS, though it won 7 out of 16 assembly seats over which by-polls were conducted on May 29, the outcome of the elections brought exuberance to both the ruling Congress and the chief Opposition party, TDP. The Telugu Desam Party got a bit of satisfaction as its performance was better than what was expected. In 2004 election, it registered victory on just 11 seats in Telangana and on Thursday by-polls it won 5 seats.
By-elections were held on total of 18 assembly seats and 4 Parliamentary seats. TRS legislators had resigned from 16 assembly seats and by-polls for rest of the two- Khairatabad and Terlam assembly seats were necessitated by the demise of sitting legislators and won by Congress and TDP respectively.
In all, TRS won seven seats, while the Congress won six and the TDP five assembly seats.
Winning marginally with a lead of only 15,765 votes over Congress candidate T. Jeevan Reddy on the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seats, TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao taking responsibility of the defeat offered to quit from the post of party president.
Congress dubbed its victory to the Centre's loan waiver and rural job scheme and the party's developmental work in the state.
Political observers feel that TRS had to pay price for inflicting burden of two by-polls on people since 2004 Legislative Assembly polls, first in 2006 and second in 2008 with no significance. On the other hand, the by-polls a year before the next Assembly elections indeed made the Congress hand strong and also made it free from playing into the TRS' hand.
|
|
Comments:
