Developments in Andhra turn spotlight on ‘settlers’ in Telangana

Among all the communities, it will now be keenly watched which way the votes of settlers of Andhra origin in Telangana would sway in the November 30 polls.

Eying their votes that are crucial in a few Assembly segments especially in and around GHMC limits, Congress in 2018 had tied up with the TDP.

However, such an alliance with TDP had proven costly to Congress as BRS supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had reignited the ‘Telangana sentiment’.  

Though TDP has considerable cadre in Telangana region it is still looked up to and treated as an ‘Andhra party’.

Among Andhra origin settlers Kammas, who are majorly aligned with TDP, always played a decisive role in a few Assembly segments.

The recent developments in Andhra Pradesh involving TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu's arrest by the CID, protests by techies in Hyderabad had enhanced curiosity among those who closely watch Telangana politics regarding who would the Andhra settlers vote.  

In 2018 polls, TDP -- which was in fray in alliance with Congress -- had contested on 14 seats, of which it won two. The party also secured around 3.5 per cent of the votes. But, at present uncertainty haunts the party in Telangana with Naidu in jail and his son Nara Lokesh busy in Delhi securing legal aid for his father’s release.

TDP’s Telangana unit chief, Kasani Gyaneshwar, had put a brave face though and said the party is still in the fray and identified at least  88 candidates to field in the November 30 polls.

Interestingly, representatives of Telangana Kamma Sangham had also met a few central leaders of Congress and sought at least five tickets to their community in the upcoming polls.

There was also demand from a few sections of Andhra settlers that parties in Telangana condemn Naidu’s arrest. While BRS leadership had allowed a few leaders to react in a personal capacity, there has been a stoic silence from the party’s top brass.

In BJP too a few leaders made a ‘formal’ and ‘lip service’ condemnation of Naidu’s arrest. Telangana PCC chief A Revanth Reddy who has his political genesis in TDP had found fault with BRS government for not allowing protests in Hyderabad by TDP supporters.

“Political parties in Telangana would want to tread cautiously in the case of  Andhra settlers this time especially after the Congress-TDP failed experiment in the 2018 polls. An open endorsement may sometimes backfire from the natives. And  it’s  not just  Kammas there are also other communities of Andhra settlers in Telangana. It would be really interesting to see to which side Andhra settlers  would vote,” a political analyst who wished not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter told DH.

According to some rough estimates Andhra origin settlers are around 40 lakhs of the total population of Telangana.

These Andhra settlers are seen more in areas like LB Nagar, Kukatpally, Musheerabad, Lingampally,  Quthbullapur, Patancheru, Medchal, Uppal and Malkajgiri.

Apart from Kammas, other communities like Kapus, Brahmins, Kshatriyas also form part of Andhra settlers.