CM grabs 230 seats to boost confidence

Hyderabad

March 26: The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s almost-daily chant of 230 Assembly seats and 36 Lok Sabha seats for the Congress is being seen as a move to instil confidence among his partymen, though the internal assessment of the party doesn’t reflect the figures.
This newspaper has already reported that party managers see the Congress easily winning 126 seats, and another 50 by using “all-out efforts.”
Interestingly, senior Congress leaders do not mention the 230-seat claim, and restrict themselves to saying that the party will score an impressive win.
Neither the PCC chief, Mr D. Srinivas, nor the finance minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, mentioned any numbers on Thursday at a campaign committee meeting on Thursday. They also added a note of caution: “Let us not be complacent. Don’t become over-confident. Go and campaign in a positive manner,” Mr Rosaiah told the party cadre.
The maximum number of seats that the Congress has won in the state after the advent of the TD was 185 seats in 2004, when it was part of the four-party alliance.
This time, the Congress prospects may be hit in the North Telangana region comprising five districts; this trend has been noticed in surveys conducted by some institutions. Besides, in Khammam and Nalgonda, the traditionally strong Left parties with their TRS-TD alliance could hit the Congress badly.
It will not be a one-sided affair in the north Andhra districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam, where BC communities dominate the scene. The Congress faces the TD reinvigorated by the campaign of Jr NTR and the Praja Rajyam. The three districts account for 35 seats.
The East and West Godavari districts, which contribute 34 seats, pose a similar dilemma for the Congress due to the strong Kapu factor because of the presence of Chiranjeevi. The districts from Krishna to Nellore will see a similar triangular fight.
It is only in the Rayalaseema region consisting of 52 Assembly seats that the Congress can be said to have a clear edge over its rivals.
With the situation being such, the Chief Minister’s claims have begun to grate on the Opposition’s ears.
The TD chief spokespeson, Mr Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, quipped: “He (Dr Reddy) will get the numbers in reverse, say either 32 or 23 or 0, but not 230.” Mr Jagadeeswara Reddy, chief spokes person of the TRS, said the Congress may get single-digit seats in Telangana and a total of 30 in the state. “Power has gone to his head, that is why he is talking of 230,” he said.
However, their taunts at Dr Reddy notwithstanding, the TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, and the PR chief, Chiranjeevi, have been repeatedly telling the media and the public that they will win 200 seats.