On Wednesday night the Andhra Grand Alliance was looking quite formidable, with the N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) sorting out differences over the seat sharing formula.
On Thursday it was all back to the beginning as the TRS unilaterally announced candidates outside the agreement for four TDP seats and one CPI seat.
The move has angered all the alliance partners — TDP, CPI(M) and CPI. The anger spilled onto the streets with activists ransacking party offices at half a dozen places in the Telangana districts and burning party flags.
This, on a day when the Congress announced its list for all Andhra seats and also formally launched its campaign.
While the Congress was reading out its list, protestors were gathering in hordes, raising anti-TRS slogans, in front of Naidu’s residence in the upmarket Jubilee Hill area of Hyderabad. Naidu has called TRS leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao for a meeting.
There was rebellion in the TRS ranks as well, with general secretary Narahari Venugopal Reddy quitting after he was upset over the allotment of the Bhoopalpalli seat to TDP. Reddy has floated his own Telangana Kranthi Sena and has also invited other rebels.
{{/usCountry}}There was rebellion in the TRS ranks as well, with general secretary Narahari Venugopal Reddy quitting after he was upset over the allotment of the Bhoopalpalli seat to TDP. Reddy has floated his own Telangana Kranthi Sena and has also invited other rebels.
{{/usCountry}}The left parties, who were earlier allotted 16 assembly and two Lok Sabha seats each, want 20 now. The CPM went one step ahead and announced its list of 20 candidates to the media.