The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is trailing behind the Congress in the Telangana Assembly election. Chief Minister and BRS President K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), known to be an astute politician, appears to have made some avoidable mistakes in the run-up to the elections, which might be costing him the election, according to political analysts. Here are the five mistakes:
- Despite a prevailing anti-incumbency wave against 30 to 40 MLAs, KCR decided to throw his weight behind the sitting legislators. Sources reveal that party leaders had pointed this out in internal meetings but KCR was adamant and chose to take the risk by renominating most of them, betting on his image to bail them out.
- Rebranding Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) was not a very wise decision after all. Last year, the party changed its name with the intention to foray into national politics and appeal to voters outside Telangana. However, many feel that shedding its true Telangana identity came with a cost as they lost the sentimental value attached to the region. Along with this, the party also lost its right to criticize opposing forces from outside the region as they themselves were trying to go national.
- It is still unclear why KCR decided to contest from two Assembly seats. For many, it came across as a sign of insecurity. The opposition played their part in publicizing the argument that he was losing from his traditional seat.
- There is a ‘golden period’ in political canvassing too. The Congress got the first-mover advantage as they entered campaign mode right from the time election dates were announced in the second week of October. However, BRS missed the bus as KCR was unwell around the same time and was not seen in public for around two weeks. The party also could not compensate for his absence, and Congress gained momentum during this time.
- It is widely thought that KCR went soft on PM Modi and BJP during his public meeting speeches, which did little to counter the Congress's allegation that BJP and BRS were together. This seemed to have an impact on minority voters in the state.
