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Telangana elections: KCR returns in style and here is how he did it

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Hyderabad, Dec 12: K Chandrashekhar Rao led from the front in Telangana and the efforts paid off. India's youngest state which faced the elections for the second time will be ruled by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi once again.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao display a victory sign after his party won the state Assembly elections, at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad

While the exit polls clearly indicated a TRS win, none imagined that it would be by such a handsome margin. The TRS-AIMM combine romped home with 95 seats, while leaving the Prajakutami far behind at 21. The BJP managed just one while the tally for the others was at 2.

Telangana election results 2018: Which exit poll came the closest?Telangana election results 2018: Which exit poll came the closest?

So, what led to the big TRS win? There are several factors that worked clearly in favour of the TRS. KCR's welfare schemes to lack of understanding the settler votes worked for KCR.

KCR it may be recalled had advanced the elections. This worked like a charm for him and his intention was clearly to focus on two polls individually. Had he let the term end, Telangana would be have been fitting the assembly and Lok Sabha elections together.

KCR had planned the early dissolution of the House early. On September 6, the day he decided to dissolve the house, he had 90 per cent of his candidates ready. This gave him an early mover advantage ahead of his rivals.

While KCR had 90 per cent of his candidates ready, the Congress was still in the process of stitching up an alliance. The Congress-TD combine also had to have several rounds of discussion before the list of candidates was finally announced.

The settler factor:

The Prajakutami clearly read settler vote wrong. It was felt by the Congress that bringing TDP into the fold would automatically help them bag the votes of the Andhra settlers. However, the presence of the TDP led by Naidu only could factor in the votes of those from coastal Andhra.

A BJP whitewash as Congress crawls back into the Hindi heartlandA BJP whitewash as Congress crawls back into the Hindi heartland

The Reddy voters originally from Rayalseema are backers of Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. These voters do not back Naidu and clearly that was seen in the Telangana elections as well. Moreover there is a considerable amount of anger the Reddys from Rayalseema have against the Congress as they blame them for the decision of the state.

No clear face:

For the Prajakutami, the other problem was with regard to the CM face. The TRS was clear always that it would be KCR, but in the Congress there was a tussle between several leaders on this issue.

It was clear that the Prajakutami without the lack of a clear face, looked a bit directionless. This appears to have worked well for the TRS, who had made it clear from the start who would lead the state.

The campaign by the Prajakutami was not something to tom-tom about. The alliance relied on too many star campaigners from outside the state, which did not work for it. The TRS on the other hand stuck to KCR, his son K T Rama Rao, daughter, Kavita and nephew Harish Rao. The targeting of the KCR family too did not go down with the voters.

The Congress campaign led by Rahul Gandhi too did not gain much traction. He targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi all through his campaign. While this worked wonders in the Hindi heartland, it turned out to be a damp squib in Telangana, where the BJP is not even a player.

BJP's southern sojourn takes a beating in TelanganaBJP's southern sojourn takes a beating in Telangana

The welfare schemes:

The voters have clearly paid KCR back for all the welfare schemes, he introduced. He had something for everyone in the state. His schemes psych as Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak have been run-away hits in the state. Under these schemes Rs 1 lakh is provided for a daughter's marriage.

Further he introduced free eye check ups, two bedroom homes, drinking water connections and 24/7 power. It was being dubbed as both hype and populism. However KCR proved everyone wrong and the final results speak volumes of that.

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