Hyderabad, Dec 16 : Telugu Chief Ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu are competing with each other for a key role in national politics, but the question is who will emerge on top.
Mr Naidu wants to form a front of anti-BJP parties with the Congress against the BJP at the national level. Mr Rao plans a Federal Front that is placed against both the BJP and the Congress.
It is stated that Mr Rao has brighter chances than Mr Naidu. Mr Rao has led the TRS to a sweep of the Assembly and is poised to win most of the state’s 17 Lok Sabha seats. Mr Naidu has to guard his bastion in the Assembly and win as many Lok Sabha seats as he can in the face of strong opposition from the YSRC and the Jana Sena.
In 2014, the TRS won 11 seats, the Congress won two, TD, YSRC, BJP and MIM one each. In next year’s elections, the TD, BJP and YSRC appear to have no chance and the Congress after the December 7 debacle has no time to recover.
The TRS wants to win 16 Lok Sabha seats leaving one to its friendly party MIM.
In AP, the TD won 15 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats, the YSRC eight and the BJP two. It is very difficult for the ruling party to retain its seats and YSRC may improve its tally. This time the Jana Sena of Pawan Kalyan will also contest both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
If necessary, the YSRC and the Jana Sena may support Mr Rao in national politics, and they will not support Naidu. In Telangana, the MIM also will sail with Mr Rao.
It will help Mr Rao play a key role in Delhi. After the Lok Sabha elections, several regional parties may come on to one platform with Mr Rao’s initiative. The TRS expects the regional allies of the NDA and the UPA to support the Federal Front.The anti-BJP and anti-Congress stand of Mr Rao will help in this regard. Mr Naidu has a single agenda to defeat the BJP at the national level with the support of the Congress.
Some regional parties have joined the NDA against the Congress, while others are with the UPA to oppose the BJP. These parties may come out to join the Federal Front depending on the post-poll situation.
