TRS, YSRCP to wait for clear picture to emerge

Both the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) may skip May 23 meeting convened by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and will wait for a clear picture to emerge after the Lok Sabha battle before responding to her invitation.

Though both the parties have officially denied receiving invitations for the May 23 meeting, they appear to be adopting a wait and watch approach before deciding their next strategy.

Some YSRCP leaders wondered how parties could attend a meeting on May 23 when the counting process would still be underway and a clear picture could emerge only late at night or the next day.

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has invited political heavyweights for the meeting.

TRS President and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, who is trying to bring regional parties together under his proposed Federal Front, is likely to take a decision about talks only after all the results were declared.

As KCR is counting on the support of YSRCP and other parties to push for a non-BJP and non-Congress government, he may wait for the final tally before beginning talks with different players, informed sources said.

Both TRS and YSRCP are likely to emerge kingmakers in the event of the Lok Sabha elections throwing a fractured verdict.

In Telangana, which has 17 Lok Sabha seats, TRS is confident of making a clean sweep along with its ally All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), with the latter expected to retain its Hyderabad seat.

In Andhra Pradesh, YSRCP is tipped to win 20-22 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats. UPA's reported invitations to both the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and YSRCP have sparked a debate.

The TDP has already declared its support to Congress and its President N. Chandrababu Naidu is even ready to play the anchor for a non-BJP alliance led by the Congress. It was not clear how Naidu would react to the invitation to YSRCP.

A YSRCP leader termed the May 23 meeting too early.

"As 5 percent VVPAT slips have to be counted, a clear picture will emerge only in the afternoon of May 24," K. Ravichandra Reddy said during a debate on a Telugu channel.

On whether YSRCP will extend support to Congress-led alliance, the party leaders said their stand was clear.

"Our party leader Jagan Mohan Reddy has already made it clear that whichever party comes forward to give special category status to Andhra Pradesh will get our support," another YSRCP leader said.

--IANS

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