Telangana Assembly elections 2023: Congress sends DK Shivakumar to state ahead of results, BJP cries ‘resort politics’

A day after most exit polls predicted that Congress may have an edge in Telangana over ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and BJP, Congress high command has sent Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to the state to monitor the situation. Shivakumar has been asked to keep all leaders together and on the same page, India Today reported on Saturday. 

Shivakumar had earlier proposed to host MLAs of all poll-bound states together for the government formation talks.

Shivakumar said that the Congress can easily win in the state with simple majority. “I’m going there as part of my party work. The Telangana team was with us during the Karnataka elections. That’s why I’m also going. We’ll see what happens after the results. There is no problem, no threat. We have confidence. Our party will win comfortably,” he said. 

However, the BJP has alleged that Shivakumar has been sent to Telangana to plan for ‘resort politics’ following the election results on December 3 (Sunday).

Earlier in the day, Shivakumar said that BRS chief and Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao was trying to take away the Congress candidates in the state to form the government.

"We have the information that they (BRS) are trying to trap us. Our candidates have told us that the CM (KCR) himself has approached them,” Shivakumar said.

K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS has been in power in Telangana since the formation of the state in 2014. For the first time, all the exit polls predicted a Congress sweep.

Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury also claimed that Congress leaders were receiving calls from several BRS leaders, who are trying to convince them to join BRS if the situation required. “They (BRS) took 12 of our MLAs last time. They took our people last time but this time they have to be careful that their people do not come to us. Our leaders are getting calls, I also got calls asking if we need their help. They are ready to join us if that’s the situation. They have to be careful that they do not lose their leaders,” Renuka Chowdhury told news agency ANI.

India Today-Axis My India exit poll on Friday said Congress is set to sweep Telangana with a 42 per cent vote share and 68 seats. The exit polls said the ruling BRS is expected to finsih second with 39 seats and a 36 per cent vote share.