Blow to Naidu playing anchor to opposition unity act

Telugu Desam party's debacle in Telangana elections dealt a big blow to Nara Chandrababu Naidu when he is looking forward to play the kingmaker role in New Delhi by unifying opposition parties against BJP. His gamble to be a part of Telangana government in alliance with Congress failed exposing his limits.

The TDP lost as many as 11 out of the 13 seats it contested to TRS. Congress, the principal partner in Kutami, won only 19 out of 98 seats it contested.

Naidu following the rout of TDP is now left with the burden of carrying Congress in Andhra Pradesh on his shoulders very well knowing that it was rejected by the people of the state during 2014 elections. Not only have that, Naidu’s position Vis a Vis Rahul Gandhi and other players of the proposed anti-BJP alliance also stand diminished.

The defeat of Praja Kutami (People’s Front) — the alliance that Naidu floated with Congress, CPI and other sub-regional parties has also destroyed the chance to showcase the Telangana model as a blueprint at a national level. What Naidu and others in the Praja Kutami have to realize is that grouping of the opposition against KCR has actually consolidated Telangana Sentiment.

“Actually Naidu failed to understand the psyche of people of Telangana. The wounds of Andhra rule and the bifurcation are fresh in the minds of Telangana people. He should not have campaigned in Telangana if he cared about the future of his party," Sudhish Rambhotla of BJP pointed out.

While the doors for Naidu's TDP seems to be closing down in Telangana, the threat of KCR's intervention in AP political theatre must be a cause of worry for the TDP national president. Opposition space in Andhra Pradesh is already crowded with YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress, Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party and the BJP.

Naidu’s cabinet colleague N Ananda Babu, however, says that the alliance with Congress is not just limited to Telangana. "All the alliance partners are responsible for the defeat. Why single out TDP. At least TDP contested in Telangana unlike our rivals, YSR Congress and Jana Sena.” TDP Telangana president L Ramana says that the party will sit and analyze the defeat. "The results won’t deter us from going ahead with Congress," he said.