Why is Congress’ victory in Telangana an important landmark on the political roadmap of India?

New Delhi: While the Assembly polls outcome in five states are being analyzed and being seen as a victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party on its road towards 2024 Lok Sabha elections, most political pundits have missed the importance of Congress’ win in Telangana for its electoral significance.

The grand old party has reclaimed Telangana from K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi. A feat in which a national party has trounced a regional political outfit, borne out of a movement for the creation of a separate Telangana state, in its stronghold.

Defeating a regional stalwart by a national political party has only happened once recently when the Bharatiya Janata Party defeated the Samajwadi Party to wrest Uttar Pradesh from its clutches in 2017.

It has been a trend across various states that a regional political outfit is replaced by another regional party like what happened when Bahujan Samaj Party was replaced by SP in 2012. Or a national party-led government is replaced by a regional outfit, like in the case of Punjab in 2022 when the Aam Aadmi Party replaced Congress at the helm, sources pointed out.

The importance of the Telangana Assembly poll victory is also being recognized within the grand old party as well. “The revival of the Congress party in #Telangana is a super positive sign. Defeating a regional stalwart could only be #Congress' cup of tea - something that #BJP has failed to do in South India & in states like West Bengal,” posted senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

The revival of Congress party in #Telangana is a super positive sign. Defeating a regional stalwart could only be #Congress' cup of tea - something that #BJP has failed to do in South India & in states like West Bengal.

Congratulations to the party and karyakartas!

— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) December 4, 2023

Though the party leadership has come under severe criticism for its major losses in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the party is silently confident that this victory will help the grand old party find strength in southern India, sources said.

What Congress’ Telangana victory means

The Congress’ victory over BRS is unprecedented as it has trounced a party that led the movement for the creation of a separate Telangana state. BRS’ earlier avatar, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, was the flag bearer of the state formation agitation.

This trouncing of a strong regional outfit in Telangana means that the national political parties are now likely to take up Assembly battles against parties like Trinamool Congress, Biju Janata Dal, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and YRS Congress Party with much more vigour. This means that the room for an alliance or a compromise is expected to tilt in favor of the national outfit like the BJP or the Congress, sources said.

This in turn would have a far-reaching impact on political dealings within the INDIA bloc as well as the NDA, sources added.

The Congress win also puts the political future of KCR in trouble. Though the senior BRS leader had wanted to place his heirs, son KT Rama Rao and daughter K Kavitha, in a strong political position after these assembly polls, he was unable to see it through.

All these factors are expected to garner more seats for the national political parties and create further trouble for regional outfits who are eyeing alliance mates ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which are less than six months away.