Its image of being a “by-election party” is also not helping the TRS, as it is not known to win big in general elections.
The TRS has little presence in districts like Khammam, Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar while it is no force in Hyderabad city and parts of neighbouring Ranga Reddy district. These five districts have a total of 65 Assembly constituencies in them, more than half of the total 119 in Telangana.
Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts alone account or 29, and of them 24 are purely urban segments in which ‘non-Telangana' voters hold the key.
According to estimates, one-third of voters in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy hail from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions while Muslims form one-fourth of the total electorate who could effectively tilt the scales against the TRS.
In 2009, the TRS won only 10 of the 45 seats it contested in alliance with the TDP and the Left.
