Has ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) given up hope on winning the by-elections to Huzurnagar assembly seat?
The answer appears so, if one were to go by the assessment being made by political analysts. The TRS made an aggressive beginning in the campaign with senior leaders like K T Rama Rao, G Jagadish Reddy and others taking part in canvassing for party candidate S Saidi Reddy.
But the strike by the employees and workers of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation changed the scenario.
Though Saidi Reddy and the local leaders are still campaigning intensely, there has not been much support from the party top leadership.
Many ministers, who were made in-charges of the campaign have not been able to go to Huzurnagar fearing reprisal from the RTC workers.
The big blow to the TRS campaign was the cancellation of party president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s public meeting on the pretext of bad weather. This has disappointed the party cadres a lot.
Added to this, there is no cooperation from the police to the TRS this time, as had happened in the past. The Election Commission transferred Suryapet district superintendent of police and tightened the screws around the other police officials, supposedly helping the TRS.
Under EC’s directions, the police also seized huge amounts of money and liquor from the TRS supporters. They also closed down the school of a TRS leader, from where money distribution was being done.
The only hope for the TRS is a split in the anti-government votes between the Congress and the BJP. Since the saffron party also has taken the elections seriously, the urban vote might be split and it will ultimately benefit the TRS, the party leaders are calculating.
Well, anything might happen in politics!
