Cong's Telangana stand depends on local polls verdict

The ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh has remained unfazed over Thursday’s developments in which senior party leaders decided to join the Telangana Rashtra Samithi over the separate statehood issue.

Sources in the Andhra Pradesh Congress tell Rediff.com that there will be no major impact of the resignations of senior leaders like Keshava Rao deciding to quit.

Congress sources say that at the moment they are focusing on the local body elections that will be held in July. Once these results are out, they are likely to analyse the situation and take a decision or make some announcement on Telangana.

While the Congress is taking its own time to arrive at some conclusion on Telangana, there are many who want to join the TRS. There is talk that at least five more leaders are likely to join the TRS, but would wait for the outcome of the local body elections.

Although the Congress is expected to fare badly in the Telangana region, some leaders would want to wait and see the outcome of the poll results. They would weigh their prospects on contesting on a Congress ticket in the forthcoming elections, and if they feel that the going would be tough, they would then pull out of the Congress and join the TRS.

The Congress meanwhile is weighing all its options. It fears that its already dwindling prospects in the ‘pro-unity’ Andhra-Rayalseema region thanks to Jaganmohan Reddy may worsen if it grants Telangana.

However the local body elections results would give the Congress a better picture of where it stands in the state. If it loses badly to the Jagan-led YSR Congress party in the Andhra-Rayalseema belts, then it will go all out and save the Telangana region by making some favourable announcement.

Image: Pro-Telangana activists protest in Hyderabad

Photograph: SnapsIndia