THERE ARE MANY stories on how the word Telangana came into existence. One of them, which the Telangana Tourism Department and some historians endorse, is that it was derived from trilinga desa or the land of three lingas—three Shiva temples located in different parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Only one of them—the Kaleshwara Mukteshwara Swamy Temple—is within the state borders of Telangana. The town of Kaleshwaram, therefore, draws devotees in their legions. The temple town has taken on an additional significance this election season.
The narratives of both the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi and its principal opponent, the Congress, revolve around the Kaleshwaram irrigation project, which is the largest lift irrigation project in the world. The BRS hails the genius of its creation, while the Congress screams corruption at its mention. The BRS points out how it fulfilled the needs of parched lands and throats. The Congress alleges that kickbacks to the tune of thousands of crores satiated only Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, his family and party leaders. Caught in the middle are the voters who have to make a choice on November 30.
Formal alliances in the political landscape of Telangana are blurred. The BRS has no pre-poll understanding with any party. But, as a “friendly party”, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen is doing its best to help the BRS. The BJP has an alliance with actor Pawan Kalyan’s JanaSena Party, but that is unlikely to help it win any seats. Its priority, it is believed, is to ensure that the Congress does not win.
This story is from the November 26, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
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This story is from the November 26, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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