TRS' mega meet strengthens talk of early polls

HYDERABAD: Although TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao ruled out the possibility of early Assembly polls in Telangana, it has only triggered more speculation and debate not just in the ruling party but in the political circles across the state.

The TRS holding a mega public meeting in Warangal on November 15 with over 10 lakh people is being viewed as the first step towards early polls in 2022-end against the original schedule of 2023-end.

There is a buzz in the TRS circles that there is a 'multi-pronged strategy' behind Chandrashekar Rao raking up early polls issue on his own when no party is talking about this and holding a mega public meeting in November.

A TRS insider said, "No political party will organise such a massive show of strength two years before the Assembly elections. There is a multi-pronged strategy behind it. It is to gear up the party for early Assembly polls sometime during 2022-end. It is also to negate the resurgence of the BJP in the event of the BJP winning the Huzurabad bypoll. This mega rally will help the party to send a strong message to people and the Opposition parties that the TRS roots are strong and Huzurabad result was only a minor aberration."

Political circles recall a similar strategy adopted by the CM while forcing early Assembly polls in December 2018 against the original schedule of April-May 2019. They say Chandrashekar Rao had ruled out early Assembly polls in 2018 and announced to hold a mega public meeting with over 10 lakh people at Kongarakalan on city outskirts on September 2, which triggered speculation that he will make an announcement on early polls.

However, in his speech, Rao said although people were expecting him to make an announcement on early polls, he had no such plans. Within four days, Rao dissolved the Legislative Assembly on September 6, nine months in advance, forcing early polls in December 2018 while the Assembly tenure was supposed to end on June 2, 2019.

Against this background, it is widely speculated that Rao has plans to go for early polls by 2022-end and if not, there was no need for him to rake up this issue on his own when no party is talking about it.

While the TRS leaders on record claim that Warangal public meeting is being held to mark completion of two decades of formation of the TRS in 2001, they see a big political strategy behind it.