Desperate to capitalize on its decision to create separate Telangana state, the Congress high command is believed to have intensified its efforts to convince the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao to merge his party with the Congress.
In return, he is being offered Chief Minister's post in the new Telangana state after the elections.
Senior Congress leaders have been holding secret parleys with KCR on behalf of the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
It has been communicated to him that he would be projected as the party's Chief Ministerial candidate once he merges TRS with the ruling party.
After completing the constitutional formalities of creating the Telangana state, the Congress will go to polls under the leadership of KCR in the new Telangana state.
According to the buzz in political circles, the TRS supremo is yet to make up his mind on the offer.
It is believed that once he takes a decision on the offer, he would go to Delhi for a one-on-one meeting with Sonia Gandhi and formalise the merger plans.
According to Congress' calculations, if TRS and Congress contest the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls as a single entity, it would be able to sweep the elections.
However, KCR is under pressure from his party leaders not to merge the party but work out an alliance with the Congress so that the party will have a decisive say in the development of the Telangana state.
It is also said that KCR is bargaining hard with the Congress central leaders for an attractive deal for himself and his family members in return for the merger.
