The Congress’s victory in the Karnataka and Telangana Assembly elections has raised the hopes of the party in Andhra Pradesh.
In Karnataka, the Congress secured a simple majority, the first time a party has done so since 2004. Buoyed by the decisive mandate in Karnataka, the Telangana Congress, led by A. Revanth Reddy, fought aggressively in the Assembly elections. Mr. Reddy campaigned relentlessly against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his party, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). The Congress’s decisive victory in the State has now infused the Andhra Pradesh Congress with enthusiasm and hope.
Though the Congress may not be able to achieve in Andhra what it has in Telangana, the party is determined to make its presence felt once again in the State led by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). As the State goes to the polls next year, the Congress is likely to target certain pockets of the YSRCP. This could turn out to be boon for the Opposition Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena Party (TDP-JSP) combine as the YSRCP’s vote bank has always been the traditional vote bank of the Congress.
