Hyderabad: Following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, both Congress and the Telugu Desam (TD) are gradually losing out on their representation in the legislative bodies at the state and national levels. Their base is also getting eroded in both Telugu states.
Incidentally, after April, the Congress would not have any representation in the Rajya Sabha from Telangana state, where the TD has no representation. In the biannual elections to the upper House, slated for March, neither of the parties has a chance of winning a single seat in either state. The Congress ruled undivided AP for around five decades and the Telugu Desam did so for nine years. The TD was also was at the helm in the residuary state of AP for five years.
It may be recalled that four Rajya Sabha members of TD defected to the BJP and among them C.M. Ramesh, T.G. Venkatesh and Y.S. Chowdary are from AP, while Garikapati Mohan Rao remained the lone TD MP from Telangana state.
From AP, TD has two Rajya Sabha members. One of them, Ms Thota Seetharama Lakshmi, is retiring on April 9, while Mr Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar will continue till April 2, 2024.
Congress MPs T. Subbarami Reddy, K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao and M.A. Khan are retiring on April 9, from which date the party will have no RS member from the two states.
In AP, the Congress drew a blank in both Assembly and Legislative Council. It was ditto with TD in the Telangana state Legislative Council.
In the 2018 TS Assembly elections, TD won two seats and one of them is supporting the TRS now. The Congress, which has one member in the TS Legislative Council, was dealt a severe blow when 12 of its MLAs jumped on to the TRS bandwagon, leaving it with just five members in the Assembly. While Congress has three MPs in Lok Sabha from Telangana state, it is likewise with TD in AP.
Neither party can make it to the Upper House till perhaps the next Assembly elections. As things stand, the prospects of Congress are rather dim in Telangana state and AP.
Meanwhile, TD is almost washed out in TS and regaining power in AP does not seem very encouraging.
Their making it to the RS will be dependent on how the two parties fare in the next Assembly elections. The TD presently has a majority in the AP Legislative Council but then the Council is set to be abolished.
