Telangana Congress is walking on a tightrope on a possible alliance with the Left parties and also the YSR Telangana party headed by Y.S. Sharmila for the Assembly elections as strong contenders within the party are worried about losing seats to the alliance parties.
YSRTP chief Y.S. Sharmila is under tremendous pressure from her party colleagues to contest on her own if the Congress party doesn’t respond positively, either for a merger or leaving a few seats. Congress too understands that in a tight election, even a couple of thousands of votes matter, and it knows Ms. Sharmila can hurt the chances of the Congress in certain constituencies.
Congress too is not ruling out the merger as of now, and the channels are still open, but the only problem is Ms. Sharmila herself contesting on a Congress ticket. “Political compulsions are forcing us not to take any decision on the merger, though we know we don’t want to lose even those few thousands of votes that her party might poll,” a senior leader seeking anonymity said.
About the Left parties, it is clear that some kind of understanding is likely to emerge as the party’s high command is handling the discussions directly. The Left parties are hopeful of striking an understanding, as they too are desperate after being ‘ditched’ by the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) with which they were expecting to travel in the Assembly elections.
Hurt by the BRS attitude, the Left parties are willing to adjust for a couple of seats with the Congress so that their presence continues to be relevant in the electoral politics. With a strong base, though dwindling fast, they can make or mar the chances of winners in the combined Khammam and Nalgonda districts. It was evident in the high-voltage Munugode bypoll where they sided with the BRS.
The Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) headed by M. Kodandaram, too wants to work with the Congress, though personally he will not contest. It is also seeking a few seats, though the party is yet to take a decision on contesting all the seats.
