T-TDP Vote Bank – Crucial In Telangana Elections

The huge support to TDP boss N. Chandrababu Naidu from the techies and settlers in Hyderabad and Telangana, following his arrest in the Skill Development case has made the political parties in Telangana put on their thinking caps.

There are several people in the border districts, Khammam and Nalgonda, who still are staunch loyalists of the TDP. Right from the arrest to Naidu being released on interim bail, people in select areas have been showing their solidarity with the TDP boss, in the form of rallies and protests.

Witnessing the huge rallies and candle light protests in support of Naidu in Hyderabad and even abroad, other political parties have begun assessing the sympathy the TDP boss has in Telangana.

With the T-TDP abstaining from the 2023 polls, it has become interesting to see various political parties vying to divert the sympathy votes to their camps.

As part of it, a few BRS leaders, including Motkupalli Narasimhulu and Talasani Srinivas Yadav condemned the arrest of Naidu. They even criticised the YCP government for ‘unnecessarily framing the senior politician in false cases’.

Initially, the BRS government expressed some objection to the protests against the arrest of Naidu and minister K.T. Rama Rao suggested that it would be better if the protests seeking Naidu’s release are held in Andhra Pradesh, rather than in Telangana.

However, the BRS seems to have mellowed down which is being viewed as an attempt to bag the TDP sympathy vote.

Similarly, in the Congress too, party senior leaders Madhu Yashki Goud and V Hanumantha Rao also responded on Naidu’s arrest. They also criticised the YCP government for arresting Naidu.

Political analysts opined that the both the Congress and the BRS are trying to bag the T-TDP sympathy votes. It has to be seen how things will take shape once elections are held in Telangana.

Interestingly, the BJP is not in the race to divert the T-TDP sympathy votes to their camp.