Telangana Assembly elections might be postponed to April, and the state could go to polls under President’s rule. The BRS party has received indications of this possibility, as K T Rama Rao, the party’s working president, expressed his concern about it. KTR stated that if the Election Commission does not announce the poll schedule by October 10, then there won’t be any elections in November. He mentioned that clarity on this matter would come after the brief session of Parliament later this month.
It seems that the Centre has decided to combine the Lok Sabha elections with the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and Telangana. KTR believes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is determined not to lose power, even for a day. He thinks that if the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are held separately, the BJP would lose in five states. Therefore, Modi wants to combine the elections in these states.
KTR pointed out that some leaders, like Prakash Javadekar and Union minister G Kishan Reddy, may be unaware of what lies ahead. Even the President of India and Lok Sabha Speaker may not know the agenda for the upcoming special session of Parliament. KTR speculated that the BJP might wait until January for the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, convene another short session to pass a vote-on-account budget, and then dissolve the Lok Sabha. The Centre may choose to hold elections in April due to exams in February and March.
Although KTR believes that this move won’t benefit the BJP as the BRS is prepared for elections and has announced its candidates, party sources express concern over the Centre’s actions. The BRS wanted to highlight its achievements over the past nine years and run an aggressive campaign to regain power with a comfortable majority. However, if the elections are combined with the Lok Sabha polls, they may have to rethink their campaign strategy as national issues would take precedence.
Another challenge is sustaining the campaign for the next six months if the elections are deferred until April. The BRS believed that if the Assembly polls were held in November, they could focus on national politics and test their influence in states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. However, combining the elections may create obstacles in implementing their plans. Additionally, ongoing projects may encounter difficulties if President’s rule is imposed, according to the party’s top leadership.
