KCR guns for 10 LS seats from future ally

HYDERABAD: Tension and suspense has mounted over the last few days as all political parties are eagerly awaiting for the final piece to fall in place for the battelines to be drawn up for the 2009 general and assembly elections. With the Congress confident of going it alone (barring an alliance with the MIM in Hyderabad) and the TDP having tied up with the Left parties, all eyes are now on the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

In agonising days for the TRS and its president K Chandrasekhara Rao, the bargaining with both the Telugu Desam Party and Prajarajyam Party has now come to a question of two or three more Lok Sabha seats, a clear indication that the TRS chief is more sure of a decisive role at the Centre rather than in the state.

According to sources, the TDP has offered to give the TRS seven Lok Sabha seats of the 19 that fall in the Telangana region. "KCR's focus is the Lok Sabha seats. He has no issue with the number of assembly seats that N Chandrababu Naidu is offering. He is demanding 10 Lok Sabha seats, to which Naidu is not inclined as he too is banking on a role at the Centre in case things don't go too well for him in the assembly polls," said a TDP leader.

Prajarajyam president Chiranjeevi, meanwhile, has offered the TRS 9 Lok Sabha seats and 55 assembly seats of the 119 that fall in the Telangana region. "However, KCR is trying to extract 10 LS seats and 60 assembly seats. The party is hoping that al alliance with either Naidu or Chiranjeevi works out very soon," said a TRS leader.

Even as the bargaining for the seats with the TDP and Prajarajyam is on, KCR is still said to have not given up hope of allying with the Congress. "KCR is eagerly waiting to see which way would the Congress go when the private members bill on Telangana comes up in the Lok Sabha on December 19. If he is satisfied with its stance, he is ready to send feelers to the Congress. Of course, it is another matter whether the Congress would be ready to have a truck with KCR," said the TRS leader.

While KCR appears to back the party which gives him the maximum number of seats, the rank and file in the party are for going with the Prajarajyam rather than the TDP. "Since 2004, the TDP and the TRS have been fighting as bitter rivals in all the elections in Telangana. If the TRS joins the TDP bandwagon, there will be a big exodus in both the parties as local aspirants in each party would not be ready to sit quiet if that seat goes to the alliance partner," said an aide of KCR.

Another factor on which those in favour of joining with the Prajarajyam argue is that the TDP is a suspect among the Telangana voters, while Prajarajyam is untested. "Chiranjeevi need not really go into a spiel on Telangana. KCR is enough to rouse the Telangana sentiment. The PRP president would only have to stand next to KCR," remarked one leader.

Bowing to the pressure from within, KCR has apparently hinted to Chiranjeevi that if the seat-sharing is worked out, he is ready to make an announcement to this effect on December 21 and also hold a joint public meeting with Chiranjeevi in Karimnagar on December 24 where he promises to draw a crowd of over six lakh.

But the final piece is yet to fall in place. "It will happen, may be within the next seven days itself," said a TRS leader. But until then, the suspense continues.