Pink Pilot Blunts Saffron Sortie, Aborts Cong

KCR scripts Munugode win, battle is on for 2023

- Koride.Mahesh

Hyderabad: While TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao’s strategy and poll management made all the difference in K Prabhakar Reddy’s victory in Munugode, party leaders said they expected vote majority in excess of 10,000.

Obviously, the win emboldened the TRS camp, but the party has a fight on its hands with the BJP emerging as the principal opposition in state and earning a shot at taking on TRS in the next assembly election. BJP may have failed in its bid but with Sunday’s show, especially in southern Telangana, should be a cause of worry for TRS.

When Eatala Rajender won Huzurabad bypoll, it was touted as his ‘personal victory’ and not as BJP’s since he has been a legislator for more than two decades. But in this election, BJP made good inroads while Congress could not put up a tough fight. It would not be a surprise if BJP replaces Congress in the next elections, an analyst said.

On the other hand, TRS leaders refused to see any threat from BJP even in the next assembly polls, arguing that the saffron party lacks cadre and leaders. TRS leaders said welfare schemes implemented by the government played a huge part in influencing the voters and are convinced the same model will do wonders for the party in 2023 polls.