Oppn alliance seals seat deal in Telangana
AGENDA Maha Kootami eyes to unseat KCR’s Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which says the coalition was formed on a flawed agenda
HYDERABAD: After weeks of deadlocked negotiations, the four partners of Telangana’s Opposition grand alliance – or Maha Kootami – announced a seatsharing pact on Thursday for the December 7 assembly elections.
All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Telangana affairs RC Khuntia announced in New Delhi after the party’s central screening committee meeting that the Congress would contest 94 seats, leaving 25 seats for the allies in the 119member assembly.
Fourteen would be for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), eight for the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and three for the Communist Party of India (CPI).
HYDERABAD: After weeks of deadlocked negotiations, the four partners of Telangana’s opposition grand alliance, or Maha Kootami, announced a seatsharing pact on Thursday for the December 7 assembly elections.
All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Telangana affairs RC Khuntia announced in New Delhi after the party’s central screening committee meeting that the Congress would contest 94 seats, leaving 25 seats for the allies in the 119-member assembly, including 14 for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), eight for the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and three for the Communist Party of India (CPI).
The Congress has already allotted one seat to Telangana Inti Party president Cheruku Sudhakar. “He would be contesting on the Congress symbol as his party has not got the official symbol from the Election Commission,” he added.
Khuntia said the first list 74 Congress candidates, along with that of Maha Kootami partners, would be released in New Delhi on Saturday morning. “We are in the process of finalising the candidates for the remaining 20 seats and it would be done shortly,” he said.
The Maha Kootami is attempting to unseat the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the newly formed state.
TRS spokesman and MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy said the Maha Kootami was formed on a flawed agenda of defeating the ruling party, rather than any ideological base. “The TJS and CPI are being given those seats which they cannot win, as they are TRS strongholds. The TDP was allotted 14 seats only
KHUNTIA SAID THE FIRST LIST 74 CONGRESS CANDIDATES, ALONG WITH THAT OF MAHA KOOTAMI PARTNERS, WOULD BE RELEASED IN ON SATURDAY MORNING
because Chandrababu Naidu is funding the Congress. All of them together cannot get to even double digits in the coming elections,” Reddy said.
In the morning, Telangana TDP leaders met party president N Chandrababu Naidu at Amaravati and discussed the Congress offer of 14 seats. “While there is no issue with regard to the number of seats, discussions are still going on with regard to a couple of seats for which both the TDP and the Congress are staking claim,” Telangana TDP leader Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy said.
TJS president M Kodandaram bargained for at least 10 seats but ended up with eight seats. “We have asked for those seats where we have the strength to win them,” a TJS leader said on condition of anonymity. The CPI, which was offered three seats by the Congress, is demanding at least another two seats but is unlikely to get them, said party leaders.
Political analyst and Osmania University professor K Stevenson said it was inevitable for opposition parties to form an alliance as they were unable to take on the TRS independently.
“It has become imperative for them to pull down KCR from power, as it is a sort of now-ornever situation for them. While Congress has to win the elections for its survival, the TDP and others want to prove their identity. It is political compulsion, rather than ideological force, that brought these parties to come together,” he said.