Buoyed by K'taka win, TS Congress discusses alliance

Hyderabad: A day after the Congress swept the Karnataka Assembly polls, talks on political alliances for the upcoming polls in Telangana state gained momentum, indicating a changing political landscape, observers said.

Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal, known to be a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday said that the Congress was open to forming post-poll alliances with regional parties, even if they had ideological differences or were rivals in other states.

Speaking to an English news channel, Venugopal said: “We can’t have an alliance with the CPM in Kerala or the BRS in Telangana state, but we can have a post-poll alliance and in some cases, pre-poll alliances.”

His comments triggered a debate in political circles, as Rahul Gandhi had categorically ruled out an alliance with the BRS while addressing a public meeting in Warangal in May 2022.

BRS and Left parties worked together for the Munugode Assembly bypoll held in November 2022 to defeat the BJP.

But, with the Congress winning in Karnataka, the CPI may also consider its options, party leaders said.

CPI national secretary K. Narayana on Sunday said that they have got a new “option” to choose alliance partners in Telangana state.

He said that BRS chief and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao was yet to propose any joint events or agitation programmes against the BJP, and that they will wait for a few more days before considering others.

“The Congress and the BRS are two secular parties in Telangana state. The CPI is also a secular party. We have an option now to choose between the Congress and the BRS in Telangana state for the upcoming Assembly polls since Chandrashekar Rao is not coming forward to work jointly with CPI,” Narayana said.
Narayana went on to say that the CPI was a political party and it wants political benefit in the form of seats to contest elections, and it will go with the Congress or the BRS based on the benefit it gets.

State Congress leaders, however, were unsure of an alliance and were evasive on Venugopal’s remarks.

TPCC working president Mahesh Kumar Goud said, “Our leader Rahul Gandhi gave a clear statement that we won’t have an alliance. It was clearly stated in the Warangal declaration meeting that we won’t have alliances. Congress is the only alternative to BRS. We are on that stand. I don’t know in which context Venugopal gave that statement.”

Senior Congress leader Ponnala Lakshmaiah said, “Party has concern for the country and well-being of the people and future generations. Whatever the party decides will be in that direction. The party decides in the interest of the country and people. If Venugopal has said it is the stand of the party, no Congress leader should have second thoughts on it.”