2012 saw Telangana issue losing its steam
his fledgling party.
The TDP suffered erosion in its ranks in the Telangana region with MLAs making a beeline to Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
The state saw by-elections to 25 assembly constituencies and a Lok Sabha seat in all in which TDP drew a blank and Congress salvaged some pride by winning just two seats. YSRC ended up as the biggest gainer in these polls as it bagged 16 assembly seats besides the Lok Sabha seat. The by-polls, in a way, forced both Congress and TDP to redraw their strategies so as to stay afloat in the muddled political waters.
Chief Minister Reddy hit the roads with his (official) 'Indiramma Baata' programme while Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu launched a walkathon 'Vastunna...Meekosam' to "re-connect" with the people at the grass-roots level.
Jagan's younger sister Sharmila too undertook a foot march, as continuation of her jailed brother's 'Odarpu yatra' but had to abruptly abandon it because of a knee surgery.
YSRC is yet to make its mark in Telangana even as it has mustered good strength in Andhra-Rayalaseema regions. The party's fortunes in Telangana hinge on the stand it would take on the statehood issue.
But in-fighting among leaders is one factor that is haunting YSRC right now. With supremo Jagan in jail and no leader of equal stature in command, there is none to end the internal squabbles in almost all the constituencies.
TRS benefited politically, encashing the so-called "Telangana sentiment" in the by-elections but it also lost some credibility with its leader K Chandrasekhar Rao's repeated
