HYDERABAD: Bifurcation still has a major role in the politics of Andhra Pradesh. The state bifurcation in 2014 had its negative impacts on the Congress. Now, in the ensuing Assembly general elections, ‘Special Category’ status issue is going to play a key role. The main agenda of all political parties, except the BJP, in AP is to gain Special Category status for the state in the coming elections. To get political advantage on this issue, main political parties in the state, Telugu Desam, YSR Congress and the Congress are contemplating strategies to get upper hand on others.
YSRC and Congress are intensifying agitation, urging the Centre to grant a special tag to AP, in view of the coming elections. Keeping this in view, Telugu Desam also changed its view and is demanding a special tag to AP. All these years, political parties were silent on this issue, except YSRC that raised it a few times. Congress is being held responsible for the state’s bifurcation and BJP is being blamed for not granting a special tag to AP. In the previous elections, the Congress not only lost power but also did not win a single seat out of 175 Assembly constituencies in the state. But in the coming elections, BJP, which is being held responsible for not granting the special tag, has nothing to lose.
With the alliance of TD, BJP won four Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats in the previous elections. In fact, BJP has no strength in AP to win on its own in the Assembly or Lok Sabha elections. Due to this, TD is planning to break the alliance with the BJP and has shifted its stand from a Special Financial package for the state to the Special Category status being demanded by other parties. AP Chief Minister and TD national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has been speaking about special status to AP since the last two days in all the meetings, and wherever possible. Congress and YSRC had been demanding for this special status since the state’s bifurcation when the TD was voicing for special financial package.
