Telangana CM KCR meets PM Modi .

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and BJP on Saturday took a leap forward to face 2019 elections with a possible understanding on post-poll support, according to sources in TRS.

According to the sources, during an hour-long meeting in Delhi on Saturday, PM Narendra Modi and Telangana CM and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao discussed the crucial 2019 elections, with the latter saying that while a pre-poll alliance would not benefit his party, he was open to the idea of having a post-poll tie up in case BJP fell short of numbers .

TRS which is not part of NDA had recently abstained from the no-trust motion moved by TDP in the Lok Sabha two weeks ago

BJP has been warming up to TRS after TDP president and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu parted ways with NDA. While criticising Naidu during the debate on the no-trust motion last month, Modi praised Telangana for its development graph.

KCR had met PM also in June. His second meeting in less than 50 days has reinforced the perception about growing proximity between the two parties. While Centre is yet to concede some demands of the state government, this has not hindered the political bonhomie. “We will continue to pursue these demands. If the Centre gives us what we want, it is an advantage for Telangana. If it does not, we know whom to blame,” a minister in the TRS government told TOI.

But TRS does not wish to concede space to BJP and has rebuffed suggestions that the two parties tie up for LS and assembly polls. Chandrasekhar Rao is believed to have taken the position that BJP did not have winnable candidates in Telangana and that the most TRS could do was not to field candidates against the five BJP MLAs.

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KCR has been involved with the federal front, but is unwilling to acquiesce with Congress’s claim to lead the next “secular” coalition. TRS sources feel BJP does not seem to be unhappy with KCR because of the calculation that he may steer some of the regional parties towards NDA in case BJP does not finish with enough numbers.

