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Mahakootami, Just About

Will its tardiness cost the TDP dear?

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Mahakootami, Just About
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But now that the "mahakootami" (grand alliance) has actually been forged, will it be cohesive enough? K. Nageswar, a Hyderabad-based political analyst and former professor at Osmania University, thinks the protracted negotiations over seat-sharing have not only brought out the bitterness among the coalition partners but also delayed the front’s campaign. "The alliance is likely to face problems at the local level because of all the ill-will between its workers," he said. "Also, compared to the other parties in the state, it has lost a lot of time as far as campaigning goes. Look at how the Congress has been at the forefront in announcing its candidates for both the assembly as well as the Lok Sabha polls. Even Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), which was said to be lacking in cadre, has hit the road for campaigning."

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However, Rama Rao, son of TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, said the formation of the alliance itself was announcement enough for the masses that they had a clear, credible alternative in a TDP-led front. The TRS has been given 45 seats in the assembly and nine in the Lok Sabha. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu is confident that their campaign—built around the core issues of Telangana and corruption in the Congress—though belated, will be hard-hitting and effective.

But spoiling the party, both for the TDP as well as for the Congress (which claims there is no anti-incumbency), could be the Chiranjeevi factor. The Kapu community which the star-turned-politician comes from could prove critical in this election.

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The main battle, however, will remain between the Congress and the TDP. The latter is contesting 219 of the 294 assembly segments and 29 of the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies. The Congress hopes to limit the damage caused by the Satyam scam with its rural development plank. Chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy believes that the success of many of his government’s schemes will help him at the hustings. A clearer picture, though, will emerge only after the TDP front’s campaign gains momentum.

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