New Delhi: K Chandrasekhar Rao, the father of the statehood movement in Telangana, who ruled the state since its inception in 2014, is on his way out. His party, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi or BRS, is not within hailing distance of even one of the state's 17 parliamentary seats in the Lok Sabha Election, the votes of which are being counted today.
The state seems evenly divided between the BJP and the Congress, with each leading in eight seats. The remaining seat, Hyderabad, is the bastion of AIMIM, where party chief Asaduddin Owaisi is leading.
The writing on the wall became clear long ahead of the election, when BRS leaders made a beeline for the Congress and the BJP in droves.
Both sides welcomed them with open arms. More than 10 names on the BJP list were of former members of the BRS. The Congress too, was generous to the newcomers (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen).
Even in 2019, Mr Rao's party dominated, with nine of the 17 Lok Sabha seats going to it. Four went to the BJP, three to the Congress and one to Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM.
But back then, Mr Rao's party was still called the Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS. It came under a cloud after its change of name to Bharat Rashtra Samithi.
Seen as a shift of focus from state issues to national aspirations of the leader, it did not go down well with the electorate, many in the party had privately confided.
Added to it were the corruption allegations, including the alleged involvement of Mr Rao's daughter K Kavitha in the Delhi liquor case.