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Cong hopes to neutralise key rivals TDP, YSR Cong
Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, July 30
Though the demand for a separate state had been hanging fire for several decades, the UPA leadership put the issue on a fast-track in the recent weeks and decided to carve out a separate Telangana in what is seen as a calculated gambit.

The decision came following reports of the Congress’ stocks falling across the state and a bleak outlook staring it in the face ahead of the elections. By carving out Telangana state, the ruling party hopes to sweep the 2014 Parliament elections in the Telangana region, which accounts for 17 of the total 42 seats in Andhra.

The Congress had bagged 33 seats in the 2009 elections, the highest contribution by any state to the UPA kitty. Ten years into the government, the party is grappling a strong anti-incumbency factor and desertions from its ranks.

The death of charismatic Congress Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy in a helicopter crash in September 2009 created a leadership vacuum in the state unit. The Telangana factor and the growing popularity of YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy have added to its worries.