HYDERABAD: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Congress are eyeing a coalition government in the new Telangana state, contrary to expectations of the TRS merging with the Congress. Surprisingly, the third partner in the coalition is expected to be the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), which has been seen as an anti-division party.

On Tuesday, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao had said that merger of his party with the Congress could be considered only after Parliament passes a bill on the formation of the Telangana state. This followed remarks by Congress general secretary in charge of AP affairs, Digvijaya Singh, that KCR had often said that the TRS would merge with the Congress and “now it was time for him to take the decision”.

The TRS and the Congress feel a merger would benefit the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the next elections. “The Congress and TRS would be credited for the creation of the new Telangana state, but the TDP would be still a force to reckon with. Instead of a merger, a coalition between the TRS and Congress will better contain the TDP,” said a senior TRS leader.

MIM, which would be the third partner in the coalition, is inclined to toeing the Congress line. KCR spent the whole of Wednesday at his party office, Telangana Bhavan, where MIM president Assaduddin Owaisi was among the leaders who called on him to congratulate him. Experts see this as an indication of MIM moving to closer the idea of a “grand alliance” in Telangana.

Sources said talks had already been initiated on the contours of the coalition with the Congress sending a clear signal to the TRS chief about starting the official process of formation of Telangana as early as Thursday when a Union cabinet meeting has been called. Ahmad Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is in touch with KCR, said the sources.

“The Congress has conveyed to KCR that the bill on Telangana would be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament starting August 5. What is left to finalise is the details of the understanding to be forged between the Congress and TRS,” said a source close to KCR.

The TRS chief is understood to have instructed party colleagues not to talk ill about the Congress and the Centre. Even the Telangana Political Joint Action Committee (TJAC) dropped the sit-in slated for Thursday to demand tabling Telangana bill at the behest of KCR.

