Frustration is increasing in the alliance partners of the Maha Kootami in Telangana, with the “big brother” Telangana Congress party continuing to delay the issue of seat sharing for the ensuing assembly elections.
While the Telangana Telugu Desam Party is still waiting patiently for the conclusion of seat-sharing, the other two alliance partners – Telangana Jana Samithi and the Communist Party of India – have been giving vent to their frustration rather openly, expressing their discontent over the delaying tactics of the Congress party.
TJS president Prof M Kodandaram, who set a 48-hour deadline for the announcement of seats last week, extended it up to Dasara.
He said his party would take up electioneering after the festival. He reportedly submitted a list of 20 names to the Congress party for contesting the next elections.
On the other hand, the CPI leaders are expressing anger over the unilateral campaigning by the Congress leaders in the Communist strongholds in Nalgonda and Khammam. They threatened to go it alone, if the Congress does not finalise the seats in the next two or three days.
But what the TJS and CPI have failed to understand is that the number of seats to be shared with the allies is not in the hands of the Telangana Congress leaders, but in the party high command in Delhi.
Unless the party bosses finalise the Congress list, they cannot disclose how many seats the party can spare for the allies.
And it is not going to be easy, as there are more than half a dozen aspirants for each seat in the Congress party.
The screening committee will take its own sweet time to decide the right candidates, depending on their money and muscle power, besides of course the winnability.
Going by AICC general secretary in-charge of Telangana R C Khuntia, who had a meeting with the high command on Wednesday, the seat sharing would take at least two more weeks.
He said the talks were still going on with the allies and once the high command gives the nod, the announcement would be made by this month end.
So, Kodandaram, the CPI and the TDP have to wait for two more weeks to get clarity. Do they have so much patience?