With a dozen of its MLAs jumping ship, the Congress in Telangana is staring at an existential crisis
Hyderabad’s IT corridor is 12km away from the Congress party office in Telangana. What connects them though is a common problem—a high attrition rate.
In the last assembly elections held in December, the Congress won just 19 seats in the 119-member assembly. Six months later, it is in a pitiable state. Twelve of the 19 MLAs have crossed over to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). State Congress chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was an MLA from Huzurnagar, resigned after being elected as an MP from Nalgonda. That brought down the party’s tally to six. Now, two Congress MLAs have hinted that they may join the BJP. The mood in the Congress camp is sombre, and party leaders seem to be directionless.
“Till the time somebody leaves the party, we do not know about it. I would not be surprised if a few more MLAs leave,” said a Congress leader.
Moreover, the 12 MLAs who defected to the TRS gave a representation to the assembly speaker to merge the Congress Legislature Party with the ruling TRS. The speaker accepted their request, leading to the Congress losing the status of main opposition party. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, said to be friendly to the TRS, became the second largest party in the assembly, with seven seats. The state, therefore, no longer has a formidable opposition.
This story is from the June 30, 2019 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 30, 2019 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Ram temple not an issue in south
Much has been said this election season about the alleged north-south divide.
Haute and sweaty
In Mumbai, where I live and work, there is a severe heatwave going on. The highest temperature this month has been 40 degrees, sweltering and humid for the coastal city.
MOVE AWAY MARY!
In many parts of the world,unique names are becoming popular
CALL OF THE WILD
Tejas Thackeray, the younger son of former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, shares his passion for wildlife conservation and photography
CEPA and beyond
Bilateral trade between the UAE and India has grown almost 16 per cent year-on-year, touching $84.5 billion
Brash and raw
When I chanced upon Raj Narain, who humbled Indira Gandhi
Lone voice of dissent
“I am keen to invite Parakala [Prabhakar] to Mumbai… What do you think? Do you know him?” A friend asked. No, I don’t know the man. And no, it is not a good idea to invite him, unless you want to invite trouble, I replied.
Modi and the Muslim syndrome
I have long been intrigued by the prime minister’s desire to hug every passing sheikh and sultan and his contrasting contempt for the ordinary Indian Muslim.
Assam Rifles not trained to guard borders; need separate force for Manipur border
Imphal is blanketed in darkness. The sun has set a little too soon in the valley, but N. Biren Singh is yet to call it a day.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE SENTINELS
Manipur government wants the Assam Rifles replaced, but the Union home ministry is focused on upgrading infrastructure and connectivity before deciding who guards the state