Hyderabad: How the voters who backed the TD and the YSRC in 2014 will vote next year holds the key to determining if the TRS will retain power or the Congress will trump it.
In 2014, the difference in vote share between TRS and Congress was eight per cent: The TRS got 34 per cent and Congress the 26. The YSRC got eight per cent of the votes and the TD-BJP alliance 21.
The YSRC has almost disappeared from Telang-ana and the TD is struggling for existence. The votes polled by these two parties were against the TRS and the Congress.
The TD had won one Lok Sabha and 15 Assembly seats in 2014, and the YSRC won one Lok Sabha and 3 Assembly seats. After the TRS formed government, all the YSRC legislators and the MP joined the ruling party. From the TD, its lone MP and 12 MLAs joined the TRS.
In the last four years, the YSRC has lost ground in Telangana and concentra-ted only on AP. Apart from the MLAs and the MP, several prominent TD leaders have joined the TRS and the Congress.
The TD had a strong cadre which has joined other parties along with the leaders. TD leaders are not in a position to name one Assembly constituency from where they can win in the next elections.
In 2019, the fight between the TRS and the Congress is likely to be very close as indicated by the present political situation. Though they were separated by eight per cent of the votes,, the TRS won 63 seats and the Congress 21.
In Secunderabad and Khammam LS constituencies, the TD-BJP and YSRC respectively got more votes than the TRS due to people from AP.
