Many parts of India are yet to vote but parties have already started preparing their strategy for result day – 23 May. Strangely, the first initiative hasn’t been taken by the BJP or the Congress but by the two Deccan satraps: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
While Naidu’s strategy has been clear from the beginning – uniting all anti-BJP forces – it is KCR, whose moves are most interesting.
Given KCR’s muted criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many had assumed that if the BJP-led NDA falls short by a few seats, his Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MPs would come to their rescue.
But KCR’s recent diplomacy seems to indicate that he is keeping his options open and doesn’t rule out a tie-up even with the Congress. Some say he’s pitching himself as Deputy PM.
According to a report in The New Indian Express, KCR is said to have communicated his willingness to work with the Congress in a conversation with Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, an ally of the Grand Old Party.