The joint declaration of Telangana’s apex church bodies—the Telangana State Federation of Churches (TSFC), Synod of Telangana (SOT) and Telangana Council of Churches (TCC)—sounded a clear warning to all political parties contesting the State Assembly elections-2023: “Take Christians seriously; we can [cast] swing votes in up to 40 Assembly constituencies.”
The warning comes a day after the bodies, comprising various denominations, discussed the strategy and adopted the declaration with 25 demands.
According to SOT convenor Roydin Roach, Telangana has about 85 lakh Christians, 50 lakh of whom are registered voters. Citing the 2018-election data and their own survey, he said Christian votes were a deciding factor in 38-40 constituencies.