ADVANTAGE CONGRESS

AN INCREASINGLY INTENSE CONGRESS-BJP FIGHT IS PUSHING AN ALREADY BRUISED BRS TO THE SIDELINES  

- AMARNATH K. MENON

FOR A STATE THAT HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE only for 10 years and is therefore the country's youngest, Telangana is fast becoming the new battleground for hard-fought electoral contests. Just five months ago, it saw the end of the decade-long rule of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), led by the man who had spearheaded the movement for the state itself, K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), in a bruising assembly election. The summer may be crueller than November, with political temperatures rising in tandem with the mercury. On May 13, three advancing armies-of the ruling Congress, BRS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will battle for the state's 17 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress-buoyed by its win in the 2023 year-end assembly election, coming in from a decade's exile-is determined to replicate its success. The BRS, which held the state for two terms but is now plagued by defections, is hoping for a turnaround in electoral fortunes. The BJP, fuelled as much by its improved seat and vote shares as by the way they came, is eager to expand its footprint.