Where regional parties matter

Duggaraju Srinivasa Rao

N T Rama Rao That no political party is going to be the clear winner in the forthcoming Lok Sabha (2019) elections is loud and clear. Various surveys and political observers are indicating it. Despite their brave statements, the national political parties and their leaders are gearing for the post-poll hung situation and are in hunt for suitable allies. Naturally, the regional parties are the prey for the predacious national parties.
Strong regional, lingual sentiments grew in the south within two decades of Independence. The Tamils were the first to revolt against northern Hindi hegemony and capture power in 1967. Since then they are holding on to power under DMK or AIADMK, both subscribing to the same Dravidian philosophy.

Ramakrishna Hegde That was followed by the Telugus revolt against the Congress culture of imposing CMs from Delhi. Thus was born the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh. It created history under the leadership of N T Rama Rao, the cine hero-turned founder of this regional party. Kannada voters favoured the Janata Party under Ramakrishna Hegde and later the Janata Dal of Deve Gowda. Kerala has many regional parties catering to the aspirations based on castes and religions. The latest regional party to rule the southern state is the TRS in Telangana. During the last 50 years the growth of regionalism in the south made the national parties irrelevant dictating terms for the Congress during the election time. As the base of Congress was shrinking in the South, that political space has gone to regional parties. The BJP could get national party tag in only post Ayodhya temple movement and expanded its footprint post 2014 victory. Despite the BJP enjoying power for about 10 years at the Centre, it couldn’t make headway beyond the Vindhyas. Their latest attempt under Modi-Shah is also not successful.
Having learnt that, it is not easy to breach the regional powers of South, the national parties, the BJP and the Congress, have adopted the dictum that when you can’t win the enemy then join them. They are now slowly scheming to build bridges with regional parties of the south by negotiating alliances. The first such scheme is presently on in Telangana, the newest state of India. The first Chief Minister of the state and the man, who led over decade long movement and realised creation of Telangana, Mr. K. Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR), is going for elections almost eight months in advance without any tangible reason for such hurried elections.

Deve Gowda The reasons KCR gave on public platform are the “political fragility in the state and unlimited idiocy of the Congress”. They were not at all acceptable reasons in normal circumstances. Surprisingly the Governor, the constitutional head, has accepted those reasons without even counter questioning that and that within minutes he dissolved the assembly.
The Governor’s action is surprising, in the sense that there is no hurry to do that without making formal consultation with other political parties. Two other parties, Congress and BJP, sought audience with Governor in the same evening. But without waiting for the other parties’ view on hearing them, the Governor decided to dissolve the assembly giving an impression that every move of that has clear and prior consultation and approval of the Centre and the PMO.

K. Chandrasekhara Rao The subsequent statements by KCR further confirmed that he was in touch on this dissolution with Delhi. In his overenthusiasm, KCR blustered the entire election schedule, though it is not in his purview and that too much before the dissolution of assembly order reached the election commission office. The way the election commission is now proceeding with the conduct of the Telangana elections further confirms the nexus between the BJP and TRS and their combined game plan. Most of the election surveys may be giving slight edge for Narendra Modi as Prime Minister but the same preference is not reflected for the BJP. That is a naturally worrying point Amit Shah and Narendra Modi know that regional parties are going to play a big role in 2019 elections and also in government formation. They also know that the South is the cradle for regional sentiments and strong regional parties. So they started their experimentation from the south as they got a pliable Chief Minister in the form KCR and the BJP game plan is suited for KCR as well.

Chandra Babu Naidu KCR, who came to power with huge expectations of Telangana sentiment, is on a sticky wicket because of his family rule and massive corruption in the garb of developmental projects. Within four years KCR is exposed as untrustworthy as he threw out all those comrades in arms during the Telangana struggle and formed a coterie with contractors and investors. The surplus state of Telangana is now debt-ridden. The proposed projects are not getting completed. There is a huge gap between the hype of development he created and what was actually achieved at the base. The Congress party which is the main rival in the state is attempting to unite the other parties and groups which are not happy with the family-centric administration of KCR. Even the arch rival of Congress, the TDP is joining hands in fight against KCR and that was a real danger for KCR. So he devised the early elections so that his opponents will not get the time to work out their alliances.

Modi wishes to inflict a defeat on the Congress before he goes for elections in key states of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and Rajasthan. Once the Congress is defeated in Telangana, Modi can further ridicule Chandra Babu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh because Chandrababu is planning to go with the Congress.

Pavan Kalyan Modi wishes to inflict a defeat on the Congress before he goes for elections in key states of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and Rajasthan. Once the Congress is defeated in Telangana, Modi can further ridicule Chandra Babu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh because Chandrababu is planning to go with the Congress. For the type of problems Chandrababu is facing, including alleged misuse of funds, he is desperately seeking the support of Congress party. By inflicting defeat on the Congress and the TDP with the help of KCR in Telangana, it becomes much easier for the BJP to come to an understanding with the other regional party in AP, namely YSR Congress party and also rope in Jana Sena, another regional party led by the actor-turned politician Pavan Kalyan. The Congress becomes an easy target for ridicule as it gets the image of rejection even in Telangan, a state which it has created expecting political advantage in 2014. For this Modi is helping KCR with early elections much before the other four states go the polls. Once KCR comes back for second time, the defeated Congress have to bear the brunt of ‘failed Rahul leadership’ rhetoric from the BJP favoured media.

H.D. Kumaraswamy Now it is clear that national parties, BJP and Congress, are depending on the regional parties of the south for its very electoral existence and also for future arrangements in Delhi as they have lost much of their shine in Telugu speaking states though for different reasons. The BJP and Modi knew the role the regional parties of the south are going to play in government formation in Delhi if they fail to get majority on their own. They are also sure that BJP is not in a position to repeat the 2014 magic. Amit shah through his southern tours has come to a conclusion on the irrelevance of both the national parties in the south. The political situation in the south is peculiar. The Congress is shrinking but that political space is not going to BJP, the rival national party. It is strong regional parties which are accepted as the alternative to the Congress.

Kamal Hassan In Tamil Nadu the Congress was always a junior partner to one of the Dravidian parties. Even during Indira Gandhi’s days the Congress had no qualms to switch from the DMK to the AIADMk depending on the perceived political advantage. Now the BJP is going the Congress way by tagging to one of the Dravidian parties. The irrelevance of national parties in about five states in the country and in 130 seats is certainly a worrysome point for the political stability of the country. The regionalism is getting further narrower and narrower in the south.

In Tamil Nadu the Shankar Ayyar Congress was always a junior partner to one of the Dravidian parties. Even during Indira Gandhi’s days the Congress had no qualms to switch from the DMK to the AIADMk depending on the perceived political advantage. Now the BJP is going the Congress way by tagging to one of the Dravidian parties.

Rajani Kanth The absence of proper growth of parties based on ideology and the regional parties turning into family owned parties in the south has left the political field for cine actors to come and occupy. That Pavan Kalyan has already developed a strong political base in Andhra Pradesh and may even play a crucial role in deciding the fate of Chandra Babu and the TDP in 2019. Tamil Nadu has seen the entry of Kamal Hassan into politics and Rajani Kanth is ready to jump into arena. The traditional Dravidian parties, DMK and AIADMK, are in decline after many splits and both are heading for further splits in post Karunanidhi and Jayalaithaa era.
Despite multiplicity in regional outfits, their family rule, narrow minded vision, the voters are not shifting back to national parties because of the absence of leaders of stature both in the BJP and the Congress. The southern voters want their say in national parties. As of now both the BJP and the Congress are perceived as northern India, Hindi favouring parties.

P. Chidambaram and Mani Shankar Ayyar The BJP has no mass leaders in Tamil Nadu whereas the few Congress leaders like Chimdambaram and Manishankar Ayyar have more influence in Congress headquarters and Sonia Gandhi residence in Delhi rather than among Tamil voters. Kerala is no different. With Christians and Muslims having their own parties and Hindu castes trying to build their own parties, the national parties are no way to get in. Not only the national parties, even the communists, are on their way out in Kerala. What is the message the southern states are giving to the nation. It is when the regional, language and other narrow issues take precedence in the political expression and the national parties remain directionless it is certainly ringing some warning bells to the nation.



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Strong regional, lingual sentiments grew in the south within two decades of Independence. The Tamils were the first to revolt against northern Hindi hegemony and capture power in 1967. Since then they are holding on to power under DMK or AIADMK, both subscribing to the same Dravidian philosophy. Ramakrishna Hegde That was followed by the Telugus revolt against the Congress culture of imposing CMs from Delhi. Thus was born the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh. It created history under the leadership of N T Rama Rao, the cine hero-turned founder of this regional party. Kannada voters favoured the Janata Party under Ramakrishna Hegde and later the Janata Dal of Deve Gowda. Kerala has many regional parties catering to the aspirations based on castes and religions. The latest regional party to rule the southern state is the TRS in Telangana. During the last 50 years the growth of regionalism in the south made the national parties irrelevant dictating terms for the Congress during the election time. As the base of Congress was shrinking in the South, that political space has gone to regional parties. The BJP could get national party tag in only post Ayodhya temple movement and expanded its footprint post 2014 victory. Despite the BJP enjoying power for about 10 years at the Centre, it couldn’t make headway beyond the Vindhyas. Their latest attempt under Modi-Shah is also not successful. Having learnt that, it is not easy to breach the regional powers of South, the national parties, the BJP and the Congress, have adopted the dictum that when you can’t win the enemy then join them. They are now slowly scheming to build bridges with regional parties of the south by negotiating alliances. The first such scheme is presently on in Telangana, the newest state of India. The first Chief Minister of the state and the man, who led over decade long movement and realised creation of Telangana, Mr. K. Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR), is going for elections almost eight months in advance without any tangible reason for such hurried elections. Deve Gowda The reasons KCR gave on public platform are the “political fragility in the state and unlimited idiocy of the Congress”. They were not at all acceptable reasons in normal circumstances. Surprisingly the Governor, the constitutional head, has accepted those reasons without even counter questioning that and that within minutes he dissolved the assembly. The Governor’s action is surprising, in the sense that there is no hurry to do that without making formal consultation with other political parties. Two other parties, Congress and BJP, sought audience with Governor in the same evening. But without waiting for the other parties’ view on hearing them, the Governor decided to dissolve the assembly giving an impression that every move of that has clear and prior consultation and approval of the Centre and the PMO. K. Chandrasekhara Rao The subsequent statements by KCR further confirmed that he was in touch on this dissolution with Delhi. In his overenthusiasm, KCR blustered the entire election schedule, though it is not in his purview and that too much before the dissolution of assembly order reached the election commission office. The way the election commission is now proceeding with the conduct of the Telangana elections further confirms the nexus between the BJP and TRS and their combined game plan. Most of the election surveys may be giving slight edge for Narendra Modi as Prime Minister but the same preference is not reflected for the BJP. That is a naturally worrying point Amit Shah and Narendra Modi know that regional parties are going to play a big role in 2019 elections and also in government formation. They also know that the South is the cradle for regional sentiments and strong regional parties. So they started their experimentation from the south as they got a pliable Chief Minister in the form KCR and the BJP game plan is suited for KCR as well. Chandra Babu Naidu KCR, who came to power with huge expectations of Telangana sentiment, is on a sticky wicket because of his family rule and massive corruption in the garb of developmental projects. Within four years KCR is exposed as untrustworthy as he threw out all those comrades in arms during the Telangana struggle and formed a coterie with contractors and investors. The surplus state of Telangana is now debt-ridden. The proposed projects are not getting completed. There is a huge gap between the hype of development he created and what was actually achieved at the base. The Congress party which is the main rival in the state is attempting to unite the other parties and groups which are not happy with the family-centric administration of KCR. Even the arch rival of Congress, the TDP is joining hands in fight against KCR and that was a real danger for KCR. So he devised the early elections so that his opponents will not get the time to work out their alliances. Modi wishes to inflict a defeat on the Congress before he goes for elections in key states of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and Rajasthan. Once the Congress is defeated in Telangana, Modi can further ridicule Chandra Babu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh because Chandrababu is planning to go with the Congress. Pavan Kalyan Modi wishes to inflict a defeat on the Congress before he goes for elections in key states of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and Rajasthan. Once the Congress is defeated in Telangana, Modi can further ridicule Chandra Babu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh because Chandrababu is planning to go with the Congress. For the type of problems Chandrababu is facing, including alleged misuse of funds, he is desperately seeking the support of Congress party. By inflicting defeat on the Congress and the TDP with the help of KCR in Telangana, it becomes much easier for the BJP to come to an understanding with the other regional party in AP, namely YSR Congress party and also rope in Jana Sena, another regional party led by the actor-turned politician Pavan Kalyan. The Congress becomes an easy target for ridicule as it gets the image of rejection even in Telangan, a state which it has created expecting political advantage in 2014. For this Modi is helping KCR with early elections much before the other four states go the polls. Once KCR comes back for second time, the defeated Congress have to bear the brunt of ‘failed Rahul leadership’ rhetoric from the BJP favoured media. H.D. Kumaraswamy Now it is clear that national parties, BJP and Congress, are depending on the regional parties of the south for its very electoral existence and also for future arrangements in Delhi as they have lost much of their shine in Telugu speaking states though for different reasons. The BJP and Modi knew the role the regional parties of the south are going to play in government formation in Delhi if they fail to get majority on their own. They are also sure that BJP is not in a position to repeat the 2014 magic. Amit shah through his southern tours has come to a conclusion on the irrelevance of both the national parties in the south. The political situation in the south is peculiar. The Congress is shrinking but that political space is not going to BJP, the rival national party. It is strong regional parties which are accepted as the alternative to the Congress. Kamal Hassan In Tamil Nadu the Congress was always a junior partner to one of the Dravidian parties. Even during Indira Gandhi’s days the Congress had no qualms to switch from the DMK to the AIADMk depending on the perceived political advantage. Now the BJP is going the Congress way by tagging to one of the Dravidian parties. The irrelevance of national parties in about five states in the country and in 130 seats is certainly a worrysome point for the political stability of the country. The regionalism is getting further narrower and narrower in the south. In Tamil Nadu the Shankar Ayyar Congress was always a junior partner to one of the Dravidian parties. Even during Indira Gandhi’s days the Congress had no qualms to switch from the DMK to the AIADMk depending on the perceived political advantage. Now the BJP is going the Congress way by tagging to one of the Dravidian parties. Rajani Kanth The absence of proper growth of parties based on ideology and the regional parties turning into family owned parties in the south has left the political field for cine actors to come and occupy. That Pavan Kalyan has already developed a strong political base in Andhra Pradesh and may even play a crucial role in deciding the fate of Chandra Babu and the TDP in 2019. Tamil Nadu has seen the entry of Kamal Hassan into politics and Rajani Kanth is ready to jump into arena. The traditional Dravidian parties, DMK and AIADMK, are in decline after many splits and both are heading for further splits in post Karunanidhi and Jayalaithaa era. Despite multiplicity in regional outfits, their family rule, narrow minded vision, the voters are not shifting back to national parties because of the absence of leaders of stature both in the BJP and the Congress. The southern voters want their say in national parties. As of now both the BJP and the Congress are perceived as northern India, Hindi favouring parties. P. Chidambaram and Mani Shankar Ayyar The BJP has no mass leaders in Tamil Nadu whereas the few Congress leaders like Chimdambaram and Manishankar Ayyar have more influence in Congress headquarters and Sonia Gandhi residence in Delhi rather than among Tamil voters. Kerala is no different. With Christians and Muslims having their own parties and Hindu castes trying to build their own parties, the national parties are no way to get in. Not only the national parties, even the communists, are on their way out in Kerala. What is the message the southern states are giving to the nation. It is when the regional, language and other narrow issues take precedence in the political expression and the national parties remain directionless it is certainly ringing some warning bells to the nation.