Of Congress In Telangana, Its Lost Sheen And Glory

Anvesh Reddy

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairman Sonia Gandhi would never have imagined that the Congress party, with 33 Lok Sabha seats out of the 42 in united Andhra Pradesh, would be reduced to ashes half a decade after the State's bifurcation in the fag-end of UPA-II. Post-debacle under the then PCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah, the Telangana unit of the Congress party, in 2014, was in dire need of inspiration to lead the Opposition against the mighty Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), that went on to increase its strength by half as many seats it won in the 2014 general elections, thanks to defections from the TDP and the Congress.

In February 2015, Ponnala was replaced as the TPCC chief by the then working president Uttam Kumar Reddy. Fast forward to 11 December, 2018, the Congress-TDP alliance, along with other parties and social organisations, had a dismal show in the early assembly polls. Party heavyweights Revanth Reddy, the current working president, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Jana Reddy, DK Aruna, Shabbir Ali, Ponnam Prabhakar, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Geetha Reddy have all been shown the door in their respective constituencies while Uttam faced a personal setback with the loss of his wife Padmavathi in Kodad.

In an unexpected turn of events during the Congress's calculations ahead of the elections, current working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, the Dalit face of the party, was given the responsibility of leading the Election Committee, snubbing the likes of DK Aruna and Komatireddy, who were the apparent contenders for the chief ministerial post, if the Congress were to win the polls.

According to party sources, the Congress leadership is staring at a massive overhaul in the State, as per the directions of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is fresh from victories in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, seemingly the first time he tasted success ever since he was crowned the chief of the grand old national party. Rahul's special interest in the State stems from the party's poor performance despite intensive electioneering that included a public meeting by Sonia Gandhi. Congress secured a vote share of 16% while the TRS grabbed a daunting 73.9%. Despite displacement of 22 lakh names in the electoral roll, the TRS party led by CM KCR swept the elections securing 89 seats in the 119 seat Assembly.

Uttam was chosen as Ponnala's replacement with a strategy to restore the party's lost glory while uniting various factions and groups within it. Although Ponnala failed to secure a win in his prized constituency, Jangaon, it appears he had the last laugh on counting day. From securing a vote share of 25.2% in the back of Telangana formation in 2014, Congress under Uttam was reduced to a shadow under Uttam. Will the Congress retain its tradition of promoting its working president? Will Bhatti be made the face of TPCC? The decision will be made in long- term interest, keeping in view the TRS's purple patch that is expected to sweep the ensuing Pachayat Raj and the Lok Sabha polls.

The TRS is set to have a clear edge in the Lok Sabha elections, in what could turn out to be another dent to Rahul's hopes of forming a non-BJP government at the Centre. Will it be a Congress whitewash in Telangana? Or will TRS’s massive victory pave way for a golden chance for the BJP to make inroads into rural Telangana? Will Amit Shah replicate his North India model?

In the lead up to the general elections in mid-2019, the Telangana panchayat raj polls are crucial for Congress’s chances not just in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh but also in Karnataka, where the BJP, the single-largest party, is at a touching distance to topple the Kumaraswamy government. BS Yedyurrappa's partymen fell nine short of the magic figure of 113 in the assembly elections for 222 seats earlier this year.

In the midst of a roller coaster of political events all through the week in Telangana, KCR appointed his son, K Taraka Rama Rao (KTR) as the party’s Number Two. What does KTR’s throning means to the future of TRS? At the moment, it is quite clear that KTR is crowned the heir apparent in India's youngest State.

Also Read: Telangana Congress Alleges EVM Manipulation