KCR to decide Federal Front plan post Karnataka election

​Hyderabad: The outcome of Karnataka Assembly elections will decide TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao’s future course of action on his proposed Federal Front, an alternative to BJP and Congress at the national level. As part of his endeavour in uniting all regional forces, KCR is already holding talks with regional party leaders and convincing them to join his Front.

KCR is closely watching the strengths and weaknesses of the main political parties, BJP and Congress, and the regional force- JD (Secular), which are vying for power in the poll-bound Karnataka. A senior party leader said that the TRS chief is ascertaining people’s mood on a regular basis in the neighbouring state.

This was the reason why KCR, in Chennai on Sunday, did not rule out working with the Congress and that he was not strictly anti-Congress. But doing political business with Congress would be a little embarrassing for him since, in Telangana, the grand-old party is TRS’ principal political rival. KCR, however, kept his option open depending on which way the cookie would crumble in Karnataka.

During his recent visit to Karnataka, KCR already extended his support to JD(S) and appealed to voters belonging to Telugu community to vote in support of the regional party. Even since he met JD(S) leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in Bengaluru, the TRS president has taken up Karnataka elections to be held in May as a case study to gauge people’s mood particularly the support being received by the two national parties – BJP and Congress. 

KCR is of the strong view that if JD(S) performs up to the expectations, it will send a strong indication that people are vexed with BJP and Congress. In case, BJP or Congress romps home, it will send a message that the popularity of the two national parties is not on the wane. The TRS leader felt BJP-led NDA at the Centre failed to live up to the expectations of people of the country and the Congress was still struggling to win the people’s confidence since 2014 across the country. 

Under these circumstances, the TRS leader is expecting JD(S) will get positive results and the regional party will emerge as ‘king or a king maker’ post elections. The Karnataka elections results will also reflect people’s mood which will be similar in 2019 elections. Based on the outcome of the results, KCR will devise a political strategy for his federal front. The issues to be taken up at national level will be finalised after the elections in the neighbouring state only.