Political parties go into poll mode in Telangana; TRS slams Cong for 50 years of 'misrule'

A day after the dissolution of the Telangana assembly, the TRS president and caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Friday launched the party's the campaign, hitting out at the Congress for its "misrule" for 50 years.

The state Congress, meanwhile, pitched for a mega alliance to oust the "corrupt" TRS government, saying opposition parties, including TDP, and civil society organizations should join forces with it.

Rao, who Thursday announced candidates for 105 of the 119 assembly seats at stake, at an election meeting in Husnabad in Siddipet district accused the Congress of having heaped misery on the people of Telangana in the undivided Andhra Pradesh. "Congress ruled this country for 50 years.

Because of their useless and corrupt rule, not just Husnabad and Telangana, but the entire country is in poverty," he charged. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy described the fight against TRS in the coming assembly polls as aa "Dharma Yuddham" (war of righteousness).

"We call upon all political, non-political forces in Telangana, NGOs, civil society organizations, students bodies, employees organizations, all political parties, including Telugu Desam, to join forces to defeat this corrupt government by treating these elections as a 'Dharma Yuddham'," he told reporters here.

Preliminary discussions were held on the issue of alliances within the party, he said. TDP President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu attend the General Body meeting of TDP's Telangana unit as the Chief Guest Saturday. Naidu is expected to guide the party leaders on the assembly polls in Telangana.

The BJP's national executive beginning Saturday in Delhi is expected to discuss the party's strategy for the Telangana assembly polls. State Minister K T Rama Rao, son of Chief Minister Rao alleged that the TRS' rivals in Telangana appeared to be joining hands for an opportunistic alliance for the polls.

"It appears that some rather desperate efforts are being made in Telangana to stitch up a 'Maha Ghatiya Bandhan'. TRS party has fought the 2014 elections alone and is ready yet again to face any opportunistic alliance.

Bring it on," Rama Rao said on Twitter. The Election Commission Friday said in Delhi it will send a team to Hyderabad next week to assess poll preparedness.

Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha will head the team, which will "assess the situation in the state regarding poll preparedness", the poll panel said in a statement in Delhi.

The state assembly was dissolved Thursday as per the recommendation of the state cabinet, a move was driven by the TRS's hope that Chandrashekar Rao's charisma and a fragmented opposition will help the party retain power. The elections in Telangana were originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls next year.