Andhra voters in Telangana to play decisive role in assembly polls

HYDERABAD: Over 40 lakh voters from Andhra Pradesh, who have been settled in different parts of Telangana for decades, are going to play a crucial role in deciding the fate of political parties in the upcoming assembly elections.

Referred to as “settlers,” they mostly voted for the Telugu Desam Party in 2014, in teh assembly elections before the state was bifurcated into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Telangana Settlers’ Forum convener Katragadda Prasuna said people from Seemandhra were spread in almost all parts of Telangana – from Gadwal in the south to Mancherial in the north to Nalgonda in the east to Vikarabad and Medak in the west.

“According to our estimates settlers from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions constitute around 15% of the total number of 2.73 crore voters in Telangana. They can influence the election outcome in at least 48 out of the total 119 assembly seats in the state,” Prasuna said.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao and his party leaders are on their aggressive rhetoric against Andhra people, in a bid to rake up Telangana self-respect sentiment.

Telangana TDP leaders refuted the TRS allegations that their party would make Telangana surrender to Andhra. “All the candidates contesting in Telangana are natives of the state. After all, our party chief Naidu cannot become the chief minister of Telangana,” Telangana TDP president L Ramana said.