Advantage MahaKootami !!!

It’s advantage Maha Kootami in the first phase of elections in the state, if one were to go by the field reports. Though Election Commission has banned conduct of exit polls, several media organisations and independent agencies did their own surveys and came to the conclusion that the grand alliance is better placed than the Congress.

According to these surveys, the Congress would fare badly in Telangana, mainly due to heavy split of the pro-Congress votes and consolidation grand alliance. Though the Praja Rajyam could not make much impact on the rural electorate, it could split considerable number of votes in urban constituencies such as Malkajgiri, Secunderabad, Nizamabad and Warangal. Interestingly, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is fighting it alone in these elections, has also split heavy votes in constituencies like Chevella, Mahbubnagar, Malkajgiri, Secunderabad and Adilabad. If things work out well, the BJP might even bag Secunderabad.

The Congress is likely to win only four seats in Telangana: Chevella, Warangal, Pedapalli and Nizamabad; even Renuka Chowdary’s position is not so good, say the reports. In Mahbubnagar, TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao is likely to scrape through, while his party is expected to win Zaheerabad, Medak and Karimnagar seats. In a couple of other constituencies, the contest would be tough. In all other places, the grand alliance enjoys clear advantage, field level reports say.

In north-coastal Andhra, PRP has eaten into the Congress votes that will help the grand alliance again. Out of five Lok Sabha seats in this region, the PRP might win only Anakapalli seat, but it would indirectly help the grand alliance to bag at least three seats. However, the PRP is expected to establish clear leads in at least 15 out of the total number of 34 assembly segments, sources said.

At end of collapse !!!

The proposed ‘grand meeting’ (maha garjana), planned to be held on March 9 at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad by the Grand Allaince has been cancelled.

While some party leaders say the meeting has been cancelled because of insufficient time to organize the meeting on a grand scale. But some insiders say that the Grand Alliance partners are not sure of being able to mobilize masses, for they think the mass base is no more with the Grand Alliance partners.

It is not true to say the meeting has been cancelled because of insufficient time. The left parties’, which are known for their skills in mobilizing masses, need no more than a couple of days to do the job and TDP, TRS are no less experts in mobilizing people just like Congress, by paying money for the participants, sources said.

Then what makes them cancel the meeting at a time when they are supposed to show their strength. Is it because there are serious differences between the partners of Grand Alliance over seat sharing?

Whatever the reason, but canceling the meeting has only sent wrong signals to the people about the unity of the Grand Alliance.

TRS troubles's Mahakootami

TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao has become a big headache for Mahakootami leaders, particularly TDP N Chandrababu Naidu.

On Tuesday, the Mahakootami leaders were expected to meet at Naidu’s residence to finalise the seat sharing and also discuss arrangements for the proposed Maha Garjana on March 9. But, KCR conveniently avoided the meeting, as a result, the meeting had to be cancelled. On Monday night, too, KCR abruptly walked out of the Mahakootami meeting for reasons only known to him.

Now, Naidu is a little upset with KCR’s behaviour. He is also angry with the statement of TRS leader B Vinod Kumar that the seat sharing in Telangana would be decided only by TRS and not the TD and that after deciding its own seats, the TRS would leave the remaining seats to the other Mahakootami partners. If that is the case, what is the sanctity for forming an alliance, Naidu argues