'TRS will analyse loss; Modi factor one of the reasons'

Hyderabad: TRS would go into the reasons for not getting the expected number seats in the Lok Sabha polls and it feels that Modi factor and others helped the BJP make surprise gains, party sources said Saturday.

The sources dismissed reports that some ministers may face the axe over the party's poor performance. TRS bagged nine of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while its ally AIMIM retained its constituency (Hyderabad). BJP managed to win four, while Congress secured three.

Predicting that neither NDA nor UPA would be able to get majority on their own, TRS had expected to win 16 seats to play a key role at the Centre. The losses, including the defeat of sitting TRS MP K and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter Kavitha in Nizamabad are seen as a setback to the party. TRS sources pointed out that the party was successful in 10 of the 17 seats along with ally AIMIM. BJP's vote percentage rose to about 20 per cent from 10 per cent in assembly elections held in last December as the voters preferred Modi's leadership as it was a national election, they said.

TRS secured about 42 per cent votes though it was a national election, they said. The sources discounted reports that Rao expressed anger at some party leaders and that some ministers would be changed. They said leaders would be told to review in case of results were not satisfactory, while appreciating those who did a good job.

TRS would achieve very good results in the local body polls (held this month) the votes of which would be counted soon, the sources said. TRS MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy Friday said the party would go into reasons for losing some constituencies. "We expected some more seats. We got nine only. We have to definitely think what had gone wrong, some of the seats particularly... We could observe that 'milakhat' (understanding) of BJP and Congress," he told PTI.

He alleged that the Congress and BJP had reached an understanding to defeat TRS. "For example, in Nizamabad constituency, you take Jagtial (assembly seat). The Congress candidate got only 1,000 votes there. Congress leader Jeevan Reddy represented (Jagtial) for so many years. It was a complete shift of Congress voting to BJP," he said. "Congress lost deposit in Nizamabad constituency and wherein they got only 1,000 votes in Jagtial assembly constituency, which shows it is a clear understanding between the Congress and BJP. BJP purchased these people," Reddy said Friday.