All roads in Hyderabad led to Kompally on Friday as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) engaged in a massive show of strength on the eve of its plenary.
Over 13,000 delegates gathered at the GBR Cultural Centre, stalling traffic on the Kompally highway, and turning it into a sea of pink.
Banners of Telangana Chief Minister and TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao lined every ten metres from the Suchitra junction to the event's venue.
At the venue, delegates from every corner of the state were in attendance.
"We drove down from Deverakonda in Nalgonda district. Doesn't the car look fancy?" asks Shiva Kumar, as he stands in front of a modified car, painted pink and decorated with pictures of KCR.
"We're here to show our support to the TRS leadership and ensure them that our party is active in every village in the state," adds Jagan, Shiva Kumar's friend.
Several of those who had gathered on Friday were all praise for the TRS chief, his face was plastered on everything from 'KCR kits' to a medical health camp that was organised at the site.
The photos of the Chief Minister striking different poses in each poster seemed eerily familiar to the methods adopted and popularised by late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
In fact, the only poster across the entire venue that equaled a cutout of KCR in size, was that of 'Telangana Talli', a symbolic goddess considered as mother by the people of the state.
Sounding the poll bugle
The 17th plenary of the TRS was especially significant as it could potentially be the last meeting of the senior leaders with ground-level representatives of the party, before the state heads to the polls in 2019.
Keeping this in mind, several emotions from the days of the Telangana movement were stoked.
Hundreds of newsletters were distributed, which carried an entire page, narrating how KCR fasted for Telangana and led the movement to ensure that a separate state was formed.
There was adequate space allotted to state IT Minister KT Rama Rao, Nizamabad MP K Kavitha and Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, who are KCR's son, daughter and nephew respectively.
"There is no doubt that TRS will win in 2019. Go to any village and ask, and you will see that their first preference is our leader KCR only," says Narayan Reddy from Rangareddy District.
"Even where I come from, everyone loves KCR and the TRS. We are indebted to them for ensuring statehood for us. We also can't wait to see what he does in New Delhi," an excited Chandrashekar, who hails from Peddapalli district, pips in.
Chandrashekar
Foray into national politics
The meet also assumed significance in the wake of KCR's plans to form a Federal Front at the national level. The plenary unanimously adopted a resolution authorising the Chief Minister to take all necessary steps to form the Front.
Addressing the crowd, KCR said that the proposed non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front will trigger tremors in national politics.
Holding the two national parties responsible for all the ills plaguing the nation even after 70 years of independence, he said the Federal Front would put the country on the path of speedy progress and prosperity through real cooperative federalism.
Rao alleged that both BJP and Congress were afraid of him because he was known for his determination. The TRS chief said he would work hard for the country's good just the way he strived to achieve Telangana state.
"The BJP leaders are saying that the Front doesn't even have a tent. If that is so, why are you afraid?" he asked, as the crowd cheered.