TAKING NO CHANCES
AS POLLS APPROACH, KCR IS BUSY SECURING HIS ADVANTAGE IN THE FLEDGLING STATE
As polls draw near, KCR is busy securing his advantage in the fledgling state
For Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K. Chandrashekar Rao, working to a goal with a well-honed strategy is by now second nature. At a special workshop on Sunday, October 21, riding on the spirit of Dussehra festivities, he reminded party leaders that the triumph of good over evil is a continuing battle. “Our immediate challenge is to win over 100 seats,” says KCR, the implication being that victory in the December 7 assembly elections is a foregone conclusion.
What makes KCR so confident of a second term? Well, for one thing, he believes his image as the man who delivered Telangana on June 2, 2014, will still hold this election. But the TRS chief isn’t banking on this legacy alone. He announced the names of 105 of the 119 contestants as early as September 6, after dissolving the state assembly eight months ahead of completing a full term. However, running a 90-day campaign is no easy task. With only the first half over, several TRS contestants, including KCR’s cabinet colleagues, are already facing rough weather in their constituencies (indeed, in some villages, people have even barred their entry).
KCR is not too worried by the protests, though he is aware there is dissatisfaction about the choice of candidates. He has appointed son K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) as the go-to man for squabbling partymen. KTR has a big task on his hands; he will have to bring dissent under control and ensure that the party machinery runs cohesively. For the party scion, this will also be first-hand experience in handling internal party strife.
“KCR’s image will eclipse everything else,” says KTR. “Our leader is focused on driving policy and developing state infrastructure. The category-specific welfare measures to ensure the support of specific community cohorts and disadvantaged groups along with the extension of sops through three or more schemes to every family will neutralise any anti-incumbency.”
Alongside, the stream of handouts continues. KCR
is now promising a monthly dole of Rs 3,016 to all jobless youth, the waiver of loans up to Rs 1 lakh and raising the cash grant as investment support to farmers under the Rythu Bandhu scheme from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 an acre. The last is to outwit the Congress which is promising, among other things, a loan waiver of Rs 2 lakh an acre to all farmers (the party is yet to release a poll manifesto).
It is still unclear, though, whether the state’s youth will be taken in by such promises. It is estimated that there are 2 million jobless youth in the state which implies that the proposed dole scheme will cost Rs 5,000 crore a year. The populism of the past few years is already a drain on the state exchequer. Staggering sums will be needed if the fresh promises are to be added to the list and fulfilled. Telangana had a revenue deficit of Rs 5,203.9 crore at the end of August 2018 though the state has projected a surplus of Rs 5,520.4 crore in its 201819 budget of Rs 1,74,453 crore.
Without divulging details on how he will raise the resources, an unfazed KCR says he will keep all fresh promises. “We can do it,” he says. The state has 27.3 million voters and with voter participation expected at around 70 per cent, 19 million people will likely come out and vote. The TRS is hoping that a little more than half of this number will vote for the ruling party.
To capitalise on this numbers strategy, KCR is providing organisational inputs to contestants. During the October 21 workshop at Telangana Bhavan, the party HQ in Hyderabad, KCR personally held classes for candidates on time management, coordinating with party leaders and cadre and connecting with the maximum number of voters.
All contestants have been provided lists of the beneficiaries of various social security schemes. At least 60,000 voters in every constituency benefit from one or more scheme intro duced by the TRS. The party feels these voters will be receptive to the idea of a second term for KCR. The party chief has also suggested that this segment of ‘beneficiary voters’ be brought early to polling stations on Dday so that they can stamp their support.
While contestants go doortodoor to drum up votes, KCR himself plans to travel to 100 constituencies. “We want to cover about 50 before the poll notification is announced on November 12. Later, we will focus on constituencies where there is competition from opposition parties,” says deputy chief minister Kadium Srihari. This is apart from the three ‘trendsetter’ rallies being planned for the chief minister in north Telangana.
KCR is also leading the charge against the opposition, notably the Congresssteered maha kutami (People’s Alliance) that, with just five weeks to go, is still to decide on candidates in several constituencies (talks between alliance partners have been inconclusive so far). Son KTR handles the task of countering the criticism of opposition leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi. KTR is also active on Twitter where he’s known to take on rivals with factfilled tweets. After Rahul claimed at two big rallies in Bhainsa and Kamareddy (on October 20) that the loan waiver being promised by his party is already being implemented in contiguous Karnataka and that the cost of the Kaleswaram lift irrigation project went up from Rs 36,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore during TRS rule, KTR dismissed both claims as blatant lies.
Analysts say the big advantage the TRS has at the moment is a badly divided opposition. “Whether they can form a cohesive alliance remains a big issue as the parties are yet to work out the modalities. Whether KCR benefits or whether people want change depends on the alternative agenda. KCR, though, has to change his views on the role of the opposition and also the culture of dissent,” says Prof. Ramabrahmam Ivaturi of the University of Hyderabad.
“All the surveys indicate that the party will win. Indeed, a TRS victory is a historic necessity now as other parties have no proper understanding of the issues facing the state,” says deputy CM Srihari. The problem is, if this perception does not get enough traction, KCR’s decision to call elections early may well prove a historic blunder.
WITHOUT DIVULGING DETAILS ON HOW HE WILL RAISE THE RESOURCES, KCR SAYS HE WILL KEEP ALL FRESH PROMISES. “WE CAN DO IT,” HE SAYS