New Delhi:

Once known for his stylish flicks and sharp catching on the cricket field, Mohammed Azharuddin has entered the electoral fray in Telangana as the Congress candidate from Jubilee Hills, saying he will bat aggressively and field properly to win on this new pitch. A swashbuckling batsman from Hyderabad, Azhar made a mark in the cricketing arena with his inimitable swagger and stylish stroke play.

Like the explosive start he had to his cricketing career with three back-to-back centuries, he also began his political innings with a win from Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad Lok Sabha seat in 2009.

He lost from Rajasthan’s Tonk-Sawai Madhopur in 2014 and after waiting in the wings patiently he is now entering the state electoral contest for the first time by seeking to wrest the Jubilee Hills constituency in the Secunderabad Lok Sabha segment from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

In an interview with PTI, the former India cricket captain said he was yearning to contest from his home state and do something for the people of Telangana after being an MP from UP and then unsuccessfully contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur.

“I was very happy to get the ticket this time from my own state. I must thank my high command – Mallikarjun Kharge ji, Sonia Gandhi ji. Rahul ji, Priyanka ji, and most importantly our PCC chief A Revanth Reddy for giving me this opportunity. Insha Allah (god willing) we will try our best and win the election,” said Azhar, who is a veteran of 99 Test matches and 334 One Day Internationals.

The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president said, “Winds of change” are blowing in Telangana in the Congress’ favour and “we will definitely prevail”.

“It is the right time, we have the right people, we are working very hard and the public also wants the Congress to come to power. Development that has happened is only in some urban areas and not elsewhere, so we will focus there and the six guarantees we have made, we will definitely abide by them and implement them,” Azhar told PTI.

Asked about him sticking with the Congress since he got the parliamentary polls ticket from Moradabad in 2009, he said loyalty is very important to him since the beginning.

“I have always felt that whenever someone gives you the opportunity one should be loyal,” the 60-year-old said.

Azhar cited the example of how he stuck with the bank that gave him a job even before he broke into the Indian team.

“When I made the three hundreds in the first three matches to set a record I had various opportunities and people were willing to give me any amount of money and jobs but one has to be loyal. When I was nothing, the bank gave me the much needed job. Similarly, the Congress gave me the opportunity and I fought two elections, so you have to be loyal because loyalty is the most important thing ” the former India cricket captain said.

“Sometimes things do not go according to how you want them to go but that means it was not meant to be because destiny also plays a very important role,” he said.

Azhar said people have seen what the BRS has done and they know that the Congress has done much more for them in the past.

All the development that happened was under Congress rule since Independence, he said.

“So, we will definitely develop Telangana, especially the areas which have been left behind,” he said.

Rich people are becoming richer and the poor, poorer so justice has to be done for them, he asserted.

“The people want change and development. Especially in the case of minorities nothing has happened and there is only talk. The backward classes, their development has also not happened,” Azhar said.

On the contest he has at hand in Jubilee Hills, the Congress leader said he has the confidence of the people of the constituency as whenever he spoke with them, he got an overwhelming response.

“People talk about it being an upscale area. But there are areas which need development. Local Congress cadre is also working very hard and we have the confidence of the people,” he said.

“I want to tell the people about the guarantees of the party and fight on those lines,” he said.

Asserting that he wanted to work for his home state, Azhar said he wanted to do something for the people of the state and is really looking forward to the campaigning.

Asked about what inspiration he would draw from cricket in his electoral battle, he said one has to be aggressive in these things and campaign aggressively.

“Once you are out on the field you have to face everything and you can’t be docile,” he said and added that he has to win the hearts of the people.

“We will do the fielding properly and win on this pitch which is very big, not just 22 yards,” Azhar said in a lighter vein.

BRS’ Gopinath Maganti is the sitting MLA from Jubilee Hills from where Azhar has been fielded.

The Congress is seeking to replace the BRS government in the state. Voting for 119 assembly seats in Telangana is set to take place on November 30 and results will be declared on December 3.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday expressed confidence that the Congress will form the next government in Telangana and will implement all poll guarantees.

He also dismissed allegations made by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi that promises made by the Congress in Karnataka are not being implemented.

Addressing an election rally at Tandur in poll-bound Telangana, he highlighted the six poll guarantees announced by the Congress and exuded confidence that his party would come to power.

The six guarantees given by Congress in Telangana are better than the five guarantees made by the party in Karnataka, he said.

“Today, I have come to Telangana to tell you that whatever six guarantees Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee under the leadership of Revanth (PCC president Revanth Reddy) has given, it is better than Karnataka’s five guarantees,” Mr Shivakaumar, who is also Karnataka Congress president said.

Referring to BRS’ allegations that the Congress government in Karnataka was not able to implement the promises it had made to people, Mr Shivakumar asked Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his son KT Rama Rao to visit Karnataka and see for themselves.

“I am asking Mr KCR and KTR. I will arrange for a bus. You all come with your team of ministers… whatever we have promised, we have delivered. You saying telling that we are not going to deliver. Karnataka is a state where we delivered whatever we promised,” he said.

“All the relatives of Telangana are there in Karnataka, you ask them. Whenever you give time, I am ready to come with you, take you on a bus and show what we have done to the people of Karnataka,” he said.

Telangana goes to polls on November 30 and counting will take place on December 3.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jagtial:

Calling Rahul Gandhi a “paper tiger” and one who does not understand local politics, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC and Chief Minister KCR’s daughter K Kavitha on Saturday continued her attack against the former Congress president as the countdown begins for the Telangana Assembly polls. She also asked the Wayanad MP to reflect on his public statements after Gandhi accused the Telangana government of corruption at a poll rally earlier this week.

“Rahul Gandhi is not a ‘Babbar Sher’; he is a paper tiger. Because whatever anybody writes and gives it to him, that is the only thing he will read and go away with. He does not understand the local situation, he does not understand local politics, and he does not respect or understand the local traditions or culture of this region,” She told ANI on Saturday.

Leaders of the Congress and KCR-led BRS are engaged in a war of words, with the former attempting to return to power in the state.

“Rahul Gandhi, you are a paper tiger. Please come to Telangana, but please review what you are saying in public,” the BRS leader added.

K Kavitha further said that Telangana is a state with the highest political awareness. “Because we fought for our state, we gave our lives for our state.”

“Next time you come here, don’t just go to a ‘Dosa Bandi’ (stall) and eat dosa, but go to the mother of a martyr of Telangana; then you will know the pain, and will understand the issue of Telangana. Otherwise, you will not understand,” she asked Rahul Gandhi.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on October 9 announced that the Telangana Assembly polls are scheduled to be held on November 30. The counting of votes will be done on December 3.

Telangana is set to witness a triangular contest between the BJP, the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi, and the Congress in the upcoming assembly election.

In the previous Assembly election held in 2018, BRS managed to win 88 seats out of 119 and had a dominant vote share of 47.4 per cent. Congress came in a distant second with 19 seats. Its vote share was 28.7 per cent.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Raising social security pension amounts, increasing financial assistance given under the ‘Rythu Bandhu’ investment support scheme for farmers, and providing LPG cylinders at Rs 400 each are some of the promises made by the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for the upcoming assembly elections in Telangana.

Releasing the party manifesto for the November 30 assembly polls, BRS chief and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said all 93 lakh families living below the poverty line (BPL) in the state would be provided life insurance cover of Rs five lakh and that the government would bear the cost of the premium.

Mr Rao, also known as KCR, said the social security pension, which currently stands at Rs 2,016, will be increased to Rs 5,000 per month gradually over the next five years.

According to the manifesto, It will be increased to Rs 3,016 in the first year after the BRS returns to power, and then be raised incrementally up to Rs 5,000 in the next four years.

Similarly, pension for Divyang people (persons with disabilities) will be enhanced to Rs 6,016 in the coming five years, from the existing Rs 4016.

Under the ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme in which farmers get Rs 10,000 per annum per acre, the payments will be enhanced gradually to Rs 16,000 per annum in the next five years.

“The BRS after coming to power will give each gas cylinder at Rs 400 to ‘eligible beneficiaries’ and the remaining cost will be borne by the state government,” it said.

The BRS manifesto also promises Rs 15 lakh health insurance coverage to all eligible beneficiaries under the ‘Arogya Sri’ health scheme, increasing it from the present Rs five lakh.

Mr Rao, who expressed confidence that his party would return to power, said the promises announced by the BRS would be implemented within six to seven months after forming the government.

Before releasing the manifesto, the CM said his government implemented 90 per cent of the welfare schemes though they were not mentioned in the manifesto for the previous elections.

Speaking further about the BRS’s plans if it returns to power, he said all residential junior colleges will be converted into residential degree colleges.

Watch Live: BRS Party President, CM Sri KCR speaking after releasing the party manifesto. #KCROnceAgain#VoteForCarhttps://t.co/XRJVLM72C0

— BRS Party (@BRSparty) October 15, 2023

Highlighting the development that the state has undergone under the BRS, Mr Rao stated that Telangana has become the number one in per capita income and power consumption, among other aspects. He promised to continue the government’s policies with regard to power and agriculture and said that, if required, stimulus would be given. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Ruling BRS Working President KT Rama Rao on Monday expressed confidence that his party would score a hat-trick by winning the Legislative Assembly polls scheduled to be held on November 30. He hoped that the elections in Telangana would be “one-sided” in favour of the BRS.

“Elections are going to happen. Election is on November 30. Counting is on December 03. It seems the numbers are also in our favour this time. 30. 03. I feel KCR sir becoming Chief Minister scoring a hat-trick is also going to be certain. Things are in our favour. 3+3 is six. Our lucky number is also six. KCR sir becoming CM is certain and it seems dates are also favourable,” he said, addressing a public meeting at Parkal.

In a message posted on “X”, Rama Rao, also known as KTR said, people have blessed twice and are ready to give a victory third time.

“It would be a third-time win for KCR in the results that would be announced on December 3. It will be a new chapter in South India with an able leader being crowned,” KTR, son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, said in the message.

Assembly polls in Telangana will be held on November 30 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 3.

Except for Gandhian theory, there is no place for “Godse” philosophy in Telangana, he said, hitting out indirectly at the BJP.

He further said old records will be rewritten this time by winning over 100 seats.

The Congress Party gave up the fight while the BJP left the battle even before it started, he mocked.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The BJP on Monday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi over a slip of the tongue that his party’s governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh were on their way out, and said he had accepted defeat. Soon after the announcement of the election schedule in five states, Mr Gandhi while replying to a question on the party’s prospects said the governments in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh were going.

“In Madhya Pradesh, their state government is going, the government is also going in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and also in Telangana. Sorry, I spoke wrongly. You confused me,” Mr Gandhi said and soon corrected himself.

“In Chhattisgarh, we have our government and it is coming back as also in Rajasthan. but BJP’s government in Madhya Pradesh is going. In Telangana too their (BRS) government is going and ours is coming. Seriously speaking, the atmosphere is very positive,” he said.

Posting a video clip of Mr Gandhi’s remarks on its “X” handle, the BJP wrote, “Rahul Gandhi has accepted that the Congress governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are on their way out.” Several BJP leaders also shared the video clip on their X handles.

राहुल गांधी ने स्वीकार कर लिया, राजस्थान और छत्तीसगढ़ से जा रही है कांग्रेस सरकार! pic.twitter.com/85ORupRavs

— BJP (@BJP4India) October 9, 2023

Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram will go to the assembly polls between November 7 and 30.

The Election Commission on Monday announced that single-phase assembly polls will be held in Madhya Pradesh on November 17, Rajasthan on November 23, Telangana on November 30, and Mizoram on November 7 while Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in two phases on November 7 (20 seats) and 17 (70 seats).

Hyderabad:

Ahead of the Telangana election all eyes are on the Congress as it bids to consolidate votes against the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi by reaching out to opposition leader YS Sharmila. The YSR Telangana party leader met the Congress’ Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi but she has since then neither confirmed nor denied speculation of a merger. 

Also, despite repeatedly saying her focus is on Telangana, there is buzz that Ms Sharmila – who is Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister – may cross family lines next year, when her brother’s state votes.

“Met Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi… constructive discussions took place. The daughter of YS Rajasekhar Reddy will work relentlessly towards benefitting the people of Telangana,” she told reporters after talks with the Congress leaders, declaring, “I can say one thing… countdown for KCR (Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) has begun.”

Ms Sharmila stressed her “one-point agenda is to end KCR’s rule in Telangana”.

READ | Amid Speculation Of Merger With Congress, YS Sharmila Meets Sonia Gandhi

The daughter of a former Congress chief minister, YS Rajasekhar Reddy, Ms Sharmila started the YSRTP in July 2021 with a promise to bring the YSR family, or ‘”Rajanna Rajyam” to the state – one in which both she and her party are electorally untested. As part of efforts to fulfill that vow, she went on a 3,800-km march through Telangana to target the ruling party.

“All my efforts are for Telangana. I am doing everything to improve the condition of the people.. so they benefit from the formation of Telangana,” she said after the Delhi trip.

“No Idea”, Says YSRTP

Interestingly, when contacted, YSRTP spokesperson Konda Raghava Reddy said the party’s senior leaders were unaware of Ms Sharmila meeting the Gandhi family in Delhi.

The YSRTP boss has, in the recent past, met other Congress leaders, including now-Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and General Secretary KC Venugopal. The talk then was around securing a Rajya Sabha seat or help in taking on her brother in Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Reddy has distanced himself from his sister’s political activities. After his father’s death he had broken away from the Congress to launch the YSR Congress Party in September 2009 and he did not attend his sister’s party’s launch.

READ | Jagan Reddy’s Sister Launches Party In Telangana, He Stays Away

How Would YSRTP + Congress Work?

If Ms Sharmila does, in fact, merge with the Congress, it could help consolidate anti-BRS votes in pockets where she has emotional appeal, especially among YSR loyalists. She may want to contest from Palair in Khammam, where the Congress has some influence but may need to a profile boost. Alternatively, she may also run from Secunderabad.