The political scenario in Telangana has not changed much in 2017, as it was in the last two years. Telangana Rashtra Samithi headed by K Chandrasekhar Rao continued to dominate the politics in the state, notwithstanding the gradual growing anti-incumbency among the people.
On the other hand, the Congress party, too, has picked up its strength a lot during the year. It is now in a position to challenge the ruling TRS in several districts.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been boasting of emerging as a potential alternative to the TRS has miserably failed in its attempt.
Emboldened by a divided and weakened opposition, the TRS has tried to establish its supremacy by holding a massive plenary and public meeting at Warangal early this year.
While it could attract a large number of MLAs from other parties in the previous two years, it has focussed on luring second rung leaders in 2017. Several Congress and the Telugu Desam Party leaders in various districts joined the TRS this year.
On the administrative front, KCR has tried to create a magic for granting all things to all people, promising to herald a Bangaru Telangana.
After delimitation of districts of the state into 31 districts, he made the administration a little easier.
The power sector has improved a lot with the government boasting of providing round the clock power supply to agriculture sector.
KCR tried to attract all sections of people, including SCs, STs, OBCs, Brahmins, Reddys, Christians and Lingayats by announcing a series of sops and laid foundation stone for their buildings. He tried too Muslims with 12 per cent reservations and
While the Hyderabad people suffered a lot due to bad roads and overflowing drainages, KCR successfully diverted their attention by conducting Global Entrepreneurship Summit and launch of Metro Rail.
The latest hosting of World Telugu Conference is yet another attempt of the KCR government to project that the state is under the golden rule.
However, at the ground level, KCR has been feeling the heat of the people.
The atrocities on Dalits and OBCs at Nerella and elsewhere in the state, a large number of suicides of farmers, the attacks on farmers who protested for remunerative prices for chillies and cotton and more importantly, the growing unrest among the students and unemployed youth were glaringly visible in 2017.
The Congress party is now trying to capitalise on these failures of the TRS government. It was looking for some strong leaders to gain strength to fight against the TRS.
The entry of Kodangal MLA A Revanth Reddy and a host of other leaders gave the Congress required strength.
The appointment of R C Khuntia, in place of Digvijay Singh as the party in-charge of Telangana has also brought a new lease of life. And with Rahul Gandhi taking over as the AICC chief, it is hoping to get a new strength.
The biggest trouble to the TRS government has come from Telangana Joint Action Committee and its chairman Prof M Kodandaram, who has become a thorn in the flesh of KCR.
Though KCR did everything to bring about a split in the TJAC, he could not stop Kodandaram’s growing influence.
He, however, successfully stalled the attempts of Kodandaram to hold rallies at Dharna Chowk for the unemployed youth and got him arrested several times.
But Kodandaram continued to create troubles for KCR. Though the TJAC chairman announced that he would launch a political party, he changed his mind later.
As the things stand now, he is planning to bring all the like-minded parties and groups together to build up a strong anti-TRS front. If the plan works out, it will be a real tough time for KCR in 2018! #KhabarLive
