The Professor M Kodandaram-led Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) has decided to support the main opposition Congress for the upcoming Assembly elections on November 30. Earlier, both sides had held discussions for a possible alliance, but they could not arrive at a consensus for seat-sharing. On Monday, October 30, Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief A Revanth Reddy met Kodandaram, and offered to accommodate the TJS if it wins the elections. In the previous 2018 polls, both sides had a pre-poll alliance, but the Congress eventually fielded candidates even in seats given to the TJS, leading to confusion and anger amongst TJS candidates.
“We have decided to support the Congress. They asked us to provide support and said we will be given positions after the Congress forms the government,” Kondandaram told TNM. The TJS, which also opposes the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), had earlier decided to contest the upcoming elections on its own. While it is not a major player, having Kodandaram on its side may help the Congress as the TJS head once fought for Telangana’s statehood side-by-side with BRS supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).
TJS was formed just before the 2018 elections by Kodandaram who had a fallout with KCR after the bifurcation of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh in 2014. Kodandaram was chairman of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC), an umbrella body of all pro-Telangana organisations, civil society groups and political parties. Kodandaram and KCR spearheaded the statehood movement from 2009 to 2014 until Telangana became a reality.
After the state’s formation, Kodandaram claimed that KCR failed to keep his promises and led a Joint Action Committee for unemployed youth, which held protests against the BRS government in its first term. His position has made him a bitter opponent of KCR today. However, politically, the TJS has not met much with success. In the 2018 state elections, the Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) allied, along with other parties like the TJS. Kodandaram was given eight seats but they filed nominations in 14 seats, contesting in constituencies which had Congress candidates. But they failed to win any seats. The BRS stormed to power, winning 88 out of 119 seats, while the Congress and TDP won 19 and two seats. The All India Majilis-e-Iitehadul Muslimeen retained its seven seats in 2018, while the Bharatiya Janata Party got just one seat.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] are also currently in talks with the Congress for an alliance. Both the left parties have asked for two seats each, and the CPI(M) has even threatened to call off the talks if the Congress does not give them the seats it has asked for. CPI(M) leader Narsingh Rao told TNM that they have given the grand old party a list of five seats and asked to be given any two from those. A decision is likely to be announced in a day.