There are several reports in the media which claims that Telangana might go for early elections and now the Telangana Congress Chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy has also claimed the same. According to a One India report, TPCC President Reddy while addressing the party workers in a live social media interaction, claimed that Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao might dissolve the Assembly next month and go for fresh elections with four other states- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.
According to Congress President Uttam Reddy, KCR with PM Modi has already discussed about holding early elections for Telangana assembly. He also said that the Congress needs to prepare itself for early elections.
Reddy while attacking KCR said, “Fearing that he could be questioned by the people on streets for the failure of his government to deliver on promises, KCR is preparing for early polls although his party was given a mandate for five years.”
Reddy’s claim about early elections necessitates a closer analysis. In recent times KCR has tried his level best to get in good books with the BJP. His party, TRS staged a walk from Lok Sabha during no-confidence exercise thus helping the BJP and his party also voted for the NDA candidate in the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman election.
In June, after his meeting with PM Modi, KCR had said, “We are ready for advance elections. Even people are ready for advance elections. I ask the Congress and other opposition parties to tell whether they are ready. If we go for elections, it will reveal whose strength is what and where each party stands”. He also added, “If Opposition parties don’t stop mudslinging on the TRS government, then we will be forced to go to polls to prove who the people are behind. That day is not very far off.”
There is also an advantage for KCR in holding early elections. The Congress is the main opposition to ruling TRS in Telangana. With Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh being fought alongside, the Congress will not be able to invest enough energy and resources in Telangana because their primary goal would be to defeat the BJP in other BJP ruling states. So, it might end up benefiting KCR. He even discussed the issue of holding early elections with Governor E.S.L Narasimhan.
One Nation One Election is PM Modi’s dream and KCR backed PM Modi’s effort of electoral reform. In a letter to Law Commission of India accessed by Republic TV, KCR said, “We all know that 4-6 months of time is being spent in conducting elections each time to the Lok Sabha and the State Legislatures. The entire State and District level administrative and security machinery is very busy with conduct of elections twice in a period of five years as per the current practice.”
“Likewise, imposition of model code of conduct for such a long period is also hampering development and welfare activities being undertaken by the state government. Furthermore, huge amount of money – public money as well as of the political parties / candidates is being spent twice in a period of five years, if elections are not held simultaneously.”
He concluded with “In the above backdrop, our party, i.e. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is strongly in favor of holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.”
Having said that, it is quite possible that what TPCC President N Uttam Kumar Reddy is saying might turn out to be true in the days to come.
