Telangana election results 2023: Congress benefits from wave of poll promises, anti-incumbency

Congress party has emerged victorious in the Telangana Assembly elections

| Updated: 04 December, 2023 3:46 pm IST

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NEW DELHI: The Congress party has emerged victorious in the Telangana Assembly elections, securing an impressive 64 seats out of the 119-member state Assembly. The outcome not only marks a major victory for the Grand Old Party but also positions it strategically for further expansion in southern India.

The incumbent Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which has held power for the past decade, secured 39 seats, while the BJP made a noteworthy comeback by increasing its tally from 1 seat to 8. As a consequence, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has already tendered his resignation to Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.

The defeat of the regional powerhouse TRS is a considerable feat for the Congress, setting the stage for increased prominence within the INDIA alliance as the nation approaches the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in six months.

Expressing confidence, senior Congress leader, Hanumantha Rao, told The New Indian, “With Telangana and Karnataka under Congress rule, it is indeed a significant confidence booster for us, allowing us to make inroads into neighbouring states and other parts of the country. We believe that the people of Telangana have accepted our poll promises, similar to the success we witnessed in Karnataka.”

Several factors contributed to the Congress party’s revival, including anti-incumbency at the constituency level against BRS MLAs, the removal of Bandi Sanjay as the BJP Telangana unit chief, and a common perception among the masses that the ruling BRS and AIMIM of Asaduddin Owaisi are secretly collaborating with the BJP.

The Congress manifesto played a pivotal role in shaping the electoral landscape, offering a comprehensive range of guarantees that proved to be a game-changer. Promises included cash transfers, pension schemes, free electricity, cooking gas cylinders, and land, all backed by a solid guarantee.

Specific pledges, such as free bus travel for women, Rs 2,500 monthly under the Mahalaxmi Yojana, cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500, 200 units of free electricity, and a monthly pension of Rs 4,000 for the elderly, resonated with a broad spectrum of voters and mirrored the successful approach witnessed in neighbouring Karnataka.

Congress spokesperson Kiran Kumar Reddy assured, “We will ensure that the promises we made in the manifesto will be implemented, as seen in neighbouring Karnataka. People, especially women, had immense trust in Congress this time.”

The Congress manifesto also committed to providing land and financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to homeless people in the state under the Indira Amma Indlu scheme.

The resounding victory also reflects strong support from the minority community, particularly Muslims, who felt that many promises made by the BRS government were left unfulfilled. There was a prevailing sentiment among the community that the BRS and BJP had a secret understanding to undermine the Congress, prompting them to choose the Congress.

As Telangana awaits the swearing-in of the Congress government on December 9, the crucial question remains whether the newly elected government will fulfil the ambitious schemes promised, considering the existing financial challenges faced by the state.