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Updated: Dec 11, 2018 10:09 IST

A day before the announcement of the Telangana assembly elections results, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Hyderabad member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi met Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president and caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), on Monday.

It is learnt that both leaders discussed the likelihood of no party getting an absolute majority in the assembly.

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The main challenge to TRS is the Maha Kootami or grand alliance of four parties led by the Congress. The Telugu Desam Party, which is in power in Andhra Pradesh, is part of this alliance, besides the Communist Party of India and the Telangana Jana Samithi.

A delegation of the Maha Kootami met governor E S L Narasimhan on Monday evening, asking that they be treated as a single political entity which should be given the opportunity to form the government in the event of a hung assembly.

Owaisi, who had declared his support for the TRS whilst campaigning for the December 7 state polls, reiterated his support for KCR on social media platform Twitter. “Insha Allah, he will form the next government on its own and Majlis will stand by him. This is our first step towards the larger goal of nation building,” he tweeted on Monday morning.

He visited Pragathi Bhavan, the official residence and office of KCR on his Bullet motorbike in the afternoon. He was unaccompanied and remained there for two hours.

The TRS needs to win at least 60 seats in the 119 member strong assembly to form the next government in Telangana. The AIMIM, which contested in eight assembly segments, all in Hyderabad, expects to retain its seven seats, and will play a crucial role.

Over the weekend, BJP state president K Laxman said that the party will play a “vital role” in the formation of the next government. He said that the BJP will support the TRS if it did not ally with AIMIM. Party spokesperson K Krishnasagar Rao later said that Laxman’s comments were taken out of context.

TRS spokesman Bhanu Prasad rejected the BJP’s purported offer saying that the TRS will form the government on its own.

Exit polls have predicted that while the TRS will retain power, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) —which fought the elections alone this time around— might get between five and seven seats.

The Maha Kootami delegation led by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the four parties had contested the elections together under a common agenda which was submitted to the Election Commission as well. After winning the elections, the alliance will collectively form the government and continue as partners.

“We met the governor to pre-empt any attempt to deny an opportunity to the People’s Front (Maha Kootami), as is being reported in a section of media,” he said.

With the AIMIM openly declaring its support to the TRS, the Congress is said to be luring independent candidates as well.

Catch all the live updates from Assembly Election Results 2018 LIVE