Hyderabad: TD president and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who had lost ground in Telangana state, has suddenly turned into a key player in the upcoming Assembly elections, all thanks to the Prajakutami and, ironically, the TRS.
After state bifurcation, several TD MLAs and prominent leaders defected to the TRS. Mr Naidu shifted the AP administration to Amaravati and lost his grip on Telangana affairs. For the past two years, the TD did not have much of a voice in TS. Its fortunes have suddenly revived with the formation of the Prajakutami.
Ironically, the TD was stronger in the Telangana region of undivided AP than in Seemandhra but after shifting to Amaravati, Mr Naidu confined himself to AP. He met TD leaders mostly only when he came to Hyderabad. Some of this began showing on the party. It won only one seat in the GHMC election.
With the Prajakutami, Mr Naidu has turned into a lightning rod. TRS leaders are concentrating more on Mr Naidu than on the main opposition Congress. In fact, they are projecting Mr Naidu as a Chief Minister candidate though he is not even a voter in Telangana state.
TRS main campaigners, Mr K.T. Rama Rao and Mr T. Harish Rao, over the past week have been targeting only Mr Naidu. Mr Rama Rao says if the Prajakutami cames to power, TS would go into the hands of Mr Naidu.
Mr Harish Rao is asking voters to decide who they should support — Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao or Mr Naidu. Sources in the TRS said the reason for targeting Mr Naidu was to consolidate the Telangana vote with the TRS. There is no leader in the Opposition to match Mr Chandrasekhar Rao. Mr Naidu has a image in some parts of Telangana state which will help Prajakutami.
