With an anti-establishment talk doing rounds in the political and media circles, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi is working out a plan to emerge at least the single largest party in the next week’s assembly elections in the state.
According to sources close to the TRS leadership, the party will not claim for power, if it gets less than 50 seats.
“But even if its 50 or 51, the party will go all out to grab power in the state, even if it required the support of both the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and the Bharatiya Janata Party,” a source said.
However, MIM will back out in the event of BJP offering support and vice versa. But then, too, the TRS is getting its plan “B” ready to prevent Maha Kootami from coming to power. That is luring independents with money and cabinet posts.
“If necessary, the TRS leadership will not hesitate to poach some Maha Kootami MLAs as well to form the government,” he said.
For instance, if TRS gets 50 seats, it will join hands with the MIM which is likely to retain its seven MLAs.
“So, it requires just three more MLAs to retain power. If three independents win the seats, it will be easy to poach them. Otherwise, it will indulge in horse-trading of the Maha Kootami MLAs who are vulnerable,” the source said.
BJP leader G Kishan Reddy also suspects the same. There won’t be any surprise if contestants of Maha Kootami joined the TRS after they won the upcoming elections.
“It has already happened once in 2014. Those who couldn't prevent them from joining TRS earlier are now exaggerating their capacity and promising moon for the people," he alleged.
