Will Kodandaram end up a JP or Kejri?

Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman Prof M Kodandaram is getting ready to launch a new political party in Telangana to fight the 2019 elections with a view to pull down the Telangana Rashtra Samithi from power.

According to sources close to him, Kodandaram has been quietly working out a strategy for the launch of a new political party.

He has already been taking steps to strengthen the TJAC network at the grass root level with students, peasants and people’s organisations.

Inquiries revealed that he has also arranged financial support to the proposed party from NRIs and like-minded rich people who are not taking it kindly with the TRS government.

Once everything is in place, Kodandaram is expected to make the announcement on the launch of the party and then go ahead with a series of programmes with a specific agenda.

He has also identified potential candidates in key constituencies, where there is a strong anti-establishment atmosphere prevailing.

However, sceptics doubt how far Kodandaram will succeed in tackling the mighty TRS and its leader K Chandrasekhar Rao.

If he succeeds, he will emerge as another Kejriwal down south or end up like Jayaprakash Narayan of Lok Satta, who converted his NGO into a political party and later disappeared from the political scene as fast as he came.

Kodandaram knows that it is not so easy to establish a party, let alone sustaining it and bringing it to power.

However, sources say he knows the strengths and weaknesses of KCR, as he closely worked with him in the past. Even now, the TRS does not have a strong grass root level network.

The TRS had won the last elections purely based on the Telangana sentiment. This time, it is going to be difficult without party organisation.

And Kodandaram is planning to take advantage of it and beat KCR in his own coin. If necessary, he will even join hands with the Congress party and other like-minded political outfits to bring about a grand coalition.

Since Kodandaram does not have the ambition of becoming the chief minister, the Congress may not feel any threat from his party.

It remains to be seen how far Kodandaram will succeed in his attempt to dethrone KCR.