In the recent past, KCR’s leadership led the BRS Party to a victorious position in the general elections, largely to Chandrababu Naidu’s campaign in Telangana, which BRS used to its advantage by invoking Telangana sentiment. However, in the current scenario, BRS lacks such clear targets to evoke this sentiment.
KCR’s surprising attack on YS Sharmila at Narsampet, alleging her grudge against a BRS MLA candidate, aimed to bring back the Telangana sentiment. Yet, with both the TDP and YSRTP out of the Telangana Assembly polls, and Sharmila openly supporting Congress while TDP unofficially backs it, the political landscape has shifted.
Pawan Kalyan remains the sole “Andhra” face in Telangana’s Assembly polls, aligned with BJP through Janasena, contesting in eight Assembly seats. However, Pawan’s absence in the campaign so far leaves room for speculation.
Political analysts predict that if Pawan campaigns for the BJP-Janaseena alliance, it might inadvertently favor KCR and the BRS Party. KCR could potentially leverage Pawan’s alliance with Chandrababu in Andhra Pradesh to gain an advantage. Whether the people of Telangana will accept “sentiment” as a major electoral issue remains uncertain.
KCR’s potential next target could be Pawan Kalyan, the only Andhra-based face in the Telangana elections. With the polling scheduled for 30th November and the public mandate to be revealed on 3rd December, the final outcome remains to be seen, especially concerning the impact of Pawan’s participation in the campaign.