TRS, I-PAC contract to remain intact at professional level

Hyderabad: The ruling TRS signing up the political consultancy Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) ahead of the Assembly elections next year, created a near political storm in the State with the Opposition leaders competing with each other, trying to give it their own spin. There are also speculations that as I-PAC founder and election strategist […]

Hyderabad: The ruling TRS signing up the political consultancy Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) ahead of the Assembly elections next year, created a near political storm in the State with the Opposition leaders competing with each other, trying to give it their own spin. There are also speculations that as I-PAC founder and election strategist Prashant Kishor was in talks to join Congress, it would have a serious bearing on TRS agreement with I-PAC. However, all these appears to be mere speculations and nothing more.

The BJP leaders in Telangana, came up with their own theory. The BJP State leaders claimed that it was ‘obvious’ that an alliance of the TRS and the TPCC was on the cards. BJP State chief spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao said that with the recent developments, TRS was gearing up to join hands with the Congress party. Joining the chorus, BJP OBC Morcha national president claimed that neither Prashant Kishor nor I-PAC would have any impact in the State.

The Congress, on the other hand, maintained that Prashant Kishor met Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao only to sever ties with TRS. While the Congress high command is yet to take a decision on the induction of Prashant Kishor into the party fold, TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy confidently told mediapersons here on Monday that the day would come when he would be addressing a press conference in Hyderabad along with Prashant Kishor who would ask voters to defeat TRS. However, Congress Legislative Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka was cautious to add that AICC chief Sonia Gandhi has appointed a committee will decide on Prashant Kishor and his organisation.

Rubbishing all these speculations, sources said TRS and I-PAC have confirmed that the pact between them will remain in force till the 2023 Assembly elections. Notwithstanding Prashant Kishor’s involvement in Congress affairs, I-PAC will work out strategies for the TRS in Telangana. They made it clear that the I-PAC team had been holding marathon discussions with the Chief Minister for last two days, even as the Congress appointed committee was mulling over Prashant Kishor’s proposals, which was an indication that both Prashant Kishor and I-PAC were separate entities.

While both the Congress leaders tried to give their own narrative to the developments, TRS working president and Minister KT Rama Rao had already made it clear that the TRS was just working with the I-PAC and not with Prashant Kishor. Prashant Kishor has disassociated himself from I-PAC and is no longer an office bearer, promoter, or shareholder in I-PAC, an established election management company. The TRS signed up I-PAC only help augment the party’s current position especially in the digital medium.

Interestingly, Prashant Kishor had himself expressed a desire to personally call on many Chief Ministers including Chandrashekhar Rao, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Uddhav Thackeray, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, and heads of other political parties with whom he had professional ties in the past. The objective was both civil and strategic, as a broad and tacit understanding among non-BJP/ non-NDA parties would prove crucial.