Telangana set for multi-corner fight

Telugu Desam and CPI reach an understanding to fight the election together

The opposition parties in Telangana have taken their first step towards forming a Maha Gathbandhan or Grand Alliance against the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti in the forthcoming assembly elections.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) have reached a broad understanding to fight the election together. This has come ahead of state TDP president L. Ramanna’s proposed meeting with the state Congress leader N Uttam Kumar Reddy to explore the possibility of a tie up. TDP was also in talks with newly launched Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) of Prof Kodandram, the convener of the erstwhile Telangana Joint Action Committee under the banner of which the movement for separate state was spearheaded.

However, despite the moves, the state was likely to witness a multi-corner contest as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said it will field its candidates in all the constituencies. Jana Sena party of film star Pawan Kalyan and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) were planning to have a separate tie up. The YSR Congress party of Jaganmohan Reddy was likely to enter the fray.

Congress and CPI reached the understanding at a meeting Ramanna had with the state CPI secretary Chada Venkat Reddy. “We have decided to have an understanding to effectively counter the ruling TRS and put an end to its autocratic and anti people rule. The state which was achieved by crores of people is now under a dictatorship”, Venkat told the media.

Meanwhile, the state BJP has mocked the attempts of Congress and the TDP to enter into an alliance. “Such an opportunist and unholy alliance will cause pain and anguish to the soul of Telugu Desam founder N.T. Rama Rao”, said BJP state president K. Lakshman. also