Close fight expected between Congress and BJP in Telangana

HYDERABAD: The efforts made by the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expand the party’s base in Telangana appear to have succeeded, if one goes by the Lok Sabha exit polls.

The polls predict a neck-and-neck fight between the Congress, the ruling party in the state, and the saffron party. The BJP seems set to occupy the opposition space, relegating the BRS to the margins in a state that the pink party ruled between 2014 and 2023, according to the exit polls.

There are 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, out of which the BRS won nine in the 2019 elections, the BJP four, the Congress three and the AIMIM one. This might be reversed in the 2024 elections. Almost all exit polls predict that both the Congress and BJP would comfortably go beyond their 2019 tallies, with the BRS restricted to just 0–2 seats.

The BJP vote share is set to increase significantly from 19.65% in 2019, the polls suggest. While India Today-Axis My India predicted a 43% vote share for the saffron party, News24 – Today’s Chanakya was not far behind with 40 ± 3%. The polls suggest that the BRS vote share will plummet from 41.71% in 2019, with the BJP appearing to be the major beneficiary.

Prime Minister Modi campaigned relentlessly in the state, covering nine constituencies, beginning with a roadshow in Malkajgiri on March 15 — incidentally the day BRS leader K Kavitha was arrested by the ED in the Delhi liquor scam. Union Home Minister Amit Shah too campaigned extensively in the state, also covering nine segments.