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The early leads on Sunday suggest that Congress is ahead of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Telangana and while we are still waiting for the final results, an overenthusiastic fan appears to be suffering from premature celebration. While the received wisdom is that it’s not over till the fat lady sings, Wikipedia editors don’t want to wait. An update on Revanth Reddy’s Wikipedia page read: “Anumula Revanth Reddy (born 8 November 1967) is an Indian politician from Telangana who is to serve as the 2nd Chief Minister of Telangana.”
While we’ll have to wait and see if the overenthusiastic Wiki editor’s prediction comes true, Reddy looks to be the frontrunner. He is currently leading against KCR in a prestige contest in Kamareddy.
Earlier, Revanth Reddy, who’s married to veteran Congress leader Jaipal Reddy’s niece, had taken a jibe at KTR, son of Chief Minister KCR saying he was “merit quota” and that KTR was on “management/NRI quota”.
He said: “I am on merit quota. He is on management quota/NRI quota. Everyone knows KTR as KCR’s son. We have nothing to do with KTR. Our political fight is with KCR.”
The Malkajigiri MP is the frontrunner for the post. Speaking about any designs on the CM post, Reddy had earlier said that Congress would win 80 seats in Telangana, so there would be “80 contenders for the post”.
Here’s what else you need to know about Telangana election results:
- Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is currently behind in the Kamareddy constituency, trailing his main challenger and the state Congress president, A Revanth Reddy, by over 2,000 votes after the initial round of counting. A resurgent Congress has taken an early lead across the state, except in the Hyderabad urban region.
- Multiple exit polls predict the Congress could end KCR’s reign in India’s youngest state. However, India TV-CNX exit polls had predicted BRS to return to power with 70 seats.
- An exit poll by the India Today-Axis My India project that Congress could stage a comeback in the southern state of Telangana, possibly ruining incumbent KCR’s ambitions of a third straight term in office.
- In the event of a hung assemblythe Congress is reportedly gearing up to keep its flock in Telangana together and prevent poaching of MLAs.
- In 2014, the BRS (then Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS) won 63 seats, which was just three more than the absolute majority mark. Yet, within a few months, KCR poached 12 MLAs from the Telugu Desam Party, eight from the Congress, three from the YSRCP, two from the BSP, one from the CPI and an Independent.
- In 2018, too, the BRS lured opposition MLAs, though it had won 88 out of 119 seats. Besides 12 out of 19 Congress MLAs, it poached two TDP MLAs and two Independents.
