HYDERABAD: The Telangana assembly polls on December 7 will be a crucial test for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is contesting alone unlike in 2014, to gain a foothold in the southern state ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Although the ruling TRS and the Congress-led grand alliance 'Praja Kutami' which also comprised the TDP, the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and the CPI appear to be the main rivals in most of the assembly seats, the BJP is making a determined bid to make its presence felt and increase the seat tally in the country's newest state formed in 2014.

The state will vote on Friday and the results will be declared on December 11 along with the outcome of other states. On the basis of 2014 assembly elections, at least 13 seats (See Graphics Below) could be a touch and go affair for the Congress, the TRS and the TDP as the victory margin in these constituencies was less than 2 per cent in the previous polls.



Poll analysts said the BJP could also hurt the prospects of the Congress in a few assembly segments. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is contesting eight seats in Hyderabad. TRS had opted for dissolution of Assembly in September, eight months before its term was to end. Due to the presence of independents and TRS and Congress rebels in some segments, the contest has become multi-cornered.

In the 2014 assembly polls, the BJP and the TDP had a pre-poll alliance and the former contested in 45 seats, out of which it won five. The TDP won 15 seats out of the 72 it fought.(12 of its MLAs, however, switched over to the TRS and one to the Congress later). The TRS came to power winning 63 seats.

In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the TRS won 11 of the 17 seats.

(With inputs from PTI)