Oppositions yet to decide on its nominees for polls

Even as the Opposition parties in the State are struggling to find their feet, TRS candidates, including Ministers, unleashed their poll campaign with panache, seizing the ‘early bird opportunity’ offered by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announcing candidates to 105 of the 119 Assembly seats in the State in one shot.

The Chief Minister’s twin announcement of Assembly dissolution and the list of candidates on September 6 had left the Opposition dumb-founded and the ruling party buoyant. After pulling the carpet from under the Opposition feet, Chandrashekhar Rao directed his party candidates to get into the poll mode immediately. 

Ministers and sitting MLAs, whose names figured in the list, arrived in their constituencies after Chandrashekhar Rao kick-started the campaign, addressing a mammoth public meeting at Husnabad in Siddipet district the very next day (September 7).

Sunday saw Ministers, senior leaders and candidates actively campaigning for the election, which is likely to be held sooner than later as is evident by the development taking place in the Election Commission, vis-a-vis Telangana State. Some Ministers who returned to their constituencies were accorded a rousing welcome by party cadres and supporters gathering in large numbers. Massive motorcycle rallies marked the occasion. The fact that the election mood has already set in, was palpable in every town and village on Sunday with the TRS nominees putting up hoardings at all vantage points. Many towns have already been painted pink with TRS candidates going all out in their electioneering.

Opposition clueless

Those aspiring for tickets of the opposition parties, especially the Congress, BJP and the Left parties are busy lobbying. The Congress is yet to decide on its nominees. In case of delay in announcing the candidates beyond a week, its nominees will find it difficult to blunt the impact of the TRS nominees.

Barring a few, almost all the Ministers are thick in the campaign in their respective districts. As desired by the party chief, they had the first round of preparatory talks with the party nominees finalised for the various segments.

Since the party chief is expected to embark on a whirlwind tour of all the 31 districts, the venues for his public meetings are being identified and finalised. They are out to launch a blitzkrieg targeting mainly the Congress, focusing on the TRS government’s success in the areas where the successive Congress governments in the undivided State failed to deliver.