'In Telangana Dark Mist, Naidu Stares At Uncertain Future'

By Arhaan Faraaz | Hyderabad

Is it curtains for Chandrababu Naidu? On the face of it, it would seem so, especially after all his efforts to stall the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh came to nought. In Telangana, Naidu is anathema especially in districts like Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, where the Telangana sentiment is strong and in Seemandhra, he is seen as a leader who gave a letter supporting Telangana in 2008 and could do nothing to stop the division.

But it would be foolhardy to write off one of the most consummate politicians of our times. If Naidu still makes his moves smartly, he can still rebound to a position of power in the two states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Admittedly, the BJP's support to the Telangana Bill in Parliament put the Telugu Desam in a quandary. Naidu who was aggressively wooing Narendra Modi both for a pre-poll alliance and stalling the Bill in Parliament, is now back to square one, where he finds the TDP trailing behind the TRS in Telangana and YSR Congress in Seemandhra. A third successive defeat at the hustings could spell the deathknell for the TDP.

The TDP is a house divided on whether to swallow pride and still woo the BJP. While the Telangana unit of the TDP feels that it will help to forge a BJP-TDP alliance to take on the Congress-TRS combine, the BJP in Telangana is not too keen on Naidu's company. Since Naidu is not seen as pro-Telangana in the new state, leaders like state BJP president Kishen Reddy feel he will be a liability.

But there is still a section of the BJP which feels the strong TDP cadre base in Telangana can be helpful. Also both the TDP and the BJP expect the euphoria to reduce the moment summer sets in and people are more bothered about the water supply situation and power cuts. 

They feel in such a situation the pro-development plank of Narendra Modi and Naidu could work well. Also the anti-Congress wave at the Lok Sabha level could mean the BJP-TDP alliance could put up a stiff fight to the Congress-TRS alliance and that could even transform into a decent haul in Telangana.

The ground situation is more complicated in Seemandhra, where on the face of it, there is aversion for the BJP since it backed division of the state. But leaders like Venkaiah Naidu are already in damage control mode and are appealing to the more practical lot in Seemandhra. 

The BJP is talking of extending the special category status from five to ten years, which the industry would welcome. Since the division is now a reality, the BJP wants Seemandhra to move on and embrace the development agenda promised by Modi. A section of TDP feels a development-oriented Modi-Naidu jugalbandi is a risk worth taking in Seemandhra.

Naidu was visibly upset with the BJP decision but insiders in the party say once the dust settles down, he will take a decision based on what serves his party's interest best. The BJP has everything to gain since it knows any seat that Naidu wins on his own would also accrue to the NDA kitty. Alternately the party could do business with Jaganmohan Reddy if he gets a handsome haul in Seemandhra.