et another BJP overture for alliance has got shot down by K Chandrashekar Rao's Telangana Rashtra Samithi, a party the Congress dubbed the "B Team of the BJP". Two days after most exit polls predicted that the TRS will get a second term in power with a healthy majority, the state BJP said it was ready to ally with "anyone except the Congress or (Asaduddin Owaisi's party) AIMIM". The pre-condition leaves out only the TRS, whose chief considers Mr Owaisi's party a "friendly" one.
Out of 11 exit polls, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi has been given outright majority by five. An aggregate of the exit polls shows the party will win 67 seats in the 119-member assembly -- well above the majority mark of 60.
The aggregate also indicates that the BJP will get five seats. "If the public did not vote us to power, then a discussion will be held on forming an alliance with the other political parties except the Congress and AIMIM," state BJP chief K Laxman was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.