A few days ago, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A Revanth Reddy told reporters that there is likely to be a hung assembly in the next elections in the state with both the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi would be getting 45 assembly seats each.
Quoting a survey commissioned by the party, he said there would be a tough contest between the two parties in another 15 seats.
“The vote share of the BRS would be around 37 percent, compared to 35 percent of the Congress,” he said.
Revanth also predicted that the Bharatiya Janata Party would end up in a poor third position with just six or seven seats. Its vote share would also come down from 22 percent to 14 percent. The MIM, too, would retain its seven seats and won’t get more, he said.
Normally, any political party leader likes to project a comfortable figure for his party in the election and claims that his party would come to power. But Revanth made a straightforward prediction without any tall claims.
Sources said independent surveys also predicted more or less similar numbers for the political parties in the ensuing assembly elections in Telangana, if not more.
According to the sources, an intelligence survey has revealed that the BRS would get around 50 seats, whereas the Congress would end up with 25-30 seats. There would be tough contest in another 15-20 seats and the remaining seats would be divided among the BJP, the MIM and independents, including the Bahujan Samaj Party.
The majority of the BRS seats, according to the survey, are said to be from erstwhile combined Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, which account for 24 assembly seats. Besides, the BRS can win good number of seats in northern Telangana districts like Siddipet, Karimnagar, Jagitial and Adilabad.
The BRS leadership is of the view that the common people in and around Hyderabad are immensely happy with the developmental works done by the KCR government and hence, the party can get majority of these 24 seats.
If this survey is correct, the Congress has to go a long way to conquer Telangana. Though it has improved its strength a lot in erstwhile combined districts of Khammam, Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar and parts of Warangal and Nizamabad, it has to improve its position in other parts.
“Especially in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, the Congress doesn’t have suitable candidates to fight the elections. That is why, Revanth Reddy is focusing on attracting potential leaders from the BRS like Teegala Krishna Reddy and BJP leaders like Bhikshapathi Goud etc,” sources said.