Leaders from the party's Delhi headquarters admitted that while the Mahakutami seemed like a good idea initially, a closer look revealed troubles.
A day ahead of election results to India's newest state, Telangana, were to be announced, Congress president Rahul Gandhi stood alongside Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N Chandrababu Naidu to reiterate the coming together of anti-BJP forces, a Mahakutami (grand alliance) also comprising the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and Communist Party of India.
As results poured in on Tuesday, a lot of that sheen was taken out of their alliance. In the 119-member Assembly, Congress gave up 14 seats to TDP, eight to TJS and three to CPI, while itself fielding candidates in 94 seats. But while the party managed to retain its tally of 21 seats from 2014, its vote share slid down from 25.2 per cent to 16 per cent. The TDP, which won 15 seats in 2014, managed to win just two this time. To add to the alliance's woes, the TJS and CPI didn't win even a single seat.
As results poured in, Congress' Telangana in-charge P Chacko admitted that the tie-up with TDP may have cost the party. "I think the last-minute partnership confused voters a bit. But it does not mean that the TDP is not with us," Chacko said.
The Congress' own bigwigs also lost heavily. Three AICC secretaries and sitting MLAs — Vamshi Chand Reddy, Sampath Kumar and Chinna Reddy — all lost. Two working presidents, including firebrand leader Revanth Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar, as well as former TPCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah all lost.
Congress leaders in Telangana called the party's performance an "unimaginable and unprecedented bloodbath". Leaders from the party's Delhi headquarters admitted that while the Mahakutami seemed like a good idea initially, a closer look revealed troubles. "A new chapter has now opened. After the initial euphoria, all thinking heads need to come together to see how much will these alliances benefit us," the leader said.
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