Congress Meets Telangana Governor, Stakes Claim To Form Government

Having won 64 out of Telangana's 119 seats, Congress state unit chief Revanth Reddy and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar met the governor on Sunday night to stake claim to form the government in the state. On Saturday, Mr Shivakumar had been appointed an observer for the legislative party meeting in the state as the party prepared to keep its flock together ahead of the counting. 

Speaking to reporters after meeting Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Mr Shivakumar said, "We have staked claim to form the government with 65 members in this new elected house. We have called a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party at 9.30 am tomorrow."

Experts say the Congress' decision to stake claim on the night of counting itself points to the party being jittery despite having a majority in the 119-member house. The majority mark is 60.

Revanth Reddy, who was appointed the Telangana Congress president in June 2021, has been credited with revitalising the party and leading it to victory in a state where the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, led by K Chandrashekar Rao had seemed to enjoy immense popular support and was perceived as very hard to beat. The BRS had ruled in the state ever since its formation in 2014.

Mr Reddy is likely to be the state's next chief minister. 

The Telangana result was the only silver lining in an otherwise dismal day for the Congress, which lost in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and failed to dislodge the BJP from Madhya Pradesh as well. The loss in Madhya Pradesh will especially rankle the party because the BJP managed to win over 160 seats in the 230-member Assembly despite ruling in the state for nearly two decades. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the results point to the BJP doing well in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as well. "Some people are saying this hat trick has guaranteed the 2024 victory. Today's mandate proves people have zero-tolerance towards corruption, appeasement and dynastic politics," the PM said in an address to party workers.